Densetsu no Sannin: Repetition
by Wilhelm Junker
Summary: A failed attack on a hidden village near the border of Fire Country plunges the continent into yet another secret war, one Konoha isn't prepared to deal with. The story of Team Seven's ascension to legendary status. NaruxSaku, SasuxItsasurprise
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

Chapter 1

Shiro was bored. and tired; and hungry. And, at the moment, he was really pissed that he had let his dad talk him into going on this "Ultra-important-double-secret-A-ranked-mission-which-the-future -of-the-village-depends-upon". A mission with that impressive a title had to be great, right? Apparently not; He had been a week in the woods without seeing a damn thing until now. His face twitched into the slightest hint of a smile though, as he spotted an inkling of movement through the trees.

He could see it. Fifty yards ahead of him, in a small clearing, the bandits had made their camp. This band had been particularly troublesome. For months they had been harassing caravans going into and through the Forest Country, and the Hidden Fern Village had had a hell of a time trying to track them down.

And now he knew why.

These were no normal thugs; they were obviously shinobi. Though they appeared to dress as average bandits, the way they were able to avoid capture and detection, combined with the speed and efficiency of their raids, proved it to anyone with the brains to piece together the clues.

The question now was, from what village? It was likely that they were missing nin, but given recent events, the hunter decided to investigate further.

He gave pause as he muddled over this. He already knew what he was going to do, but he prided himself on his refusal to take action without considering all his options. It was, in his opinion, the mark of a true shinobi. After several minutes of thought, he nodded and began the seal sequence for one of his personal favorites. Finishing on Ox, he whispered **"Ninpou: Shared Vision no Jutsu"**.

At the edge of the camp, Garoumaru heard his master's silent plea. He gave into the tug, moving aside in his mind to make room for his master's projected consciousness.

As many times as Shiro had performed the technique, he had never gotten over the disorientation that came with suddenly seeing through another's eyes. As such, it took him a moment to adjust. When he did, he took stock of the situation.

The camp appeared to be occupied by five ninja; two on watch, each at one of the entrances. The first, watching the entrance that opened to the northeast, seemed bored. Far too relaxed to be any threat, he turned to the second one, stationed near the southern entrance. This shinobi looked much more attentive, almost too much so. He started at every birdcall, snapped twig, and rustled leaf.

The hunter smirked to himself. _"Rookies". _The rest of the ninja were lazing about and taking care of the camp; one was sharpening kunai and another prepared some gathered herbs to be made into poison and medicine, while the final nin appeared to be resting.

At this point, something caught his eye. Or rather, the lack of something caught his eye. He mentally urged his summon to scan over each of the ninja carefully once more. Even then, he couldn't find what he was looking for.

_"Garoumaru, are any of them wearing Hitai-ate?" _he mentally asked his wolf companion.

_"No, Shiro-san. I can't see any identifying symbols on them."_

"Kuso" Back in his real body, Shiro cursed under his breath. It was an unspoken agreement among ninja that, even undercover, you wore your Hitai-ate. If you were dumb enough to get caught, you deserved the death you got. Even missing nin had the stones to wear their forehead protectors, though whether that was as an act of defiance or a courtesy to the hunter-nin, Shiro had never been able to fathom. Could it be that they weren't ninja? Only one way to find out.

Releasing the shared sight, Shiro spent a moment reorienting him self. He then bit his thumb, running the blood across the intricate tattoo that decorated his right forearm. Performing a series of hand seals, he held out his right hand and gathered chakra to the tattoos. A second later, a thick mist of chakra gathered around it and began to swirl silently. He felt as the mist gave way to a heavy weight, and quickly grabbed the object he had summoned before it could fall to the ground.

When the mist dispersed, he was left holding a mean looking war bow, the specialty of the Hidden Fern Village. It was not unheard of for shinobi to wield bows, though it was rare. However, nobody had developed the art of making and using bows to the extent that the bowyers and archers of the Hidden Fern had.

The device was no standard Yumi. It was a compound bow; short, powerful, and deadly. For generations, shinobi of the Fern Village had fought, and on occasion died, to keep the technology that went into their making, from the design of the cams to the composition of the risers and the bowstring, a secret. It was their village's ultimate weapon.

Quietly, he commanded his wolf companion to check the perimeter for traps, sorting through his plan of attack as he waited for the response.

_"Shiro-san, there are simple kunai traps on the east and west sides of the encampment, as well as some more advanced barrier traps along the paths into the camp"_

"_Interesting. But it doesn't prove it that they're shinobi." _He paused a moment, deep in thought, before responding.

"_The only way to be sure is to try and lure them into combat. Be prepared to back me up"_

"_Ahh, Shiro-san, I'm sure you could think of a more subtle way to find the information you need?"_

"_Maybe, but I'm bored and getting impatient."_

The mental conversation having reached its end, Shiro prepared his attack. He drew three arrows from the quiver on his left hip and knocked them in succession. Engaging his mechanical release aid1, he began a series of one handed seals as he drew the bow back and took aim.

"_Deep breath, envision the target, release" _

"**Multiple Arrow Shot no Jutsu"** Three arrows left his knock and flew straight towards their targets. Two found their marks, piercing them through the neck before they realized what was happening. The third, while no less perfect a shot, hit nothing but a stool as the shinobi that had been sleeping disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Shiro smirked as he sped down into the clearing, taking out the southern guard with a well placed arrow on his way down.

"That Kawarimi clenches it. You are ninja operating in our territory, and as such I can't let you go. Unless of course you want to tell me what village you're from, and what the hell you're doing here"

The enemy shinobi smirked. "Impressive entrance kid, but you really shouldn't be making threats when your back isn't covered"

At that instant, the ninja who had been watching the north entrance appeared behind him in a swirl of mist, bringing his ninjaken down with a backhanded slash meant to connect with Shiro's back and sever his spine.

But it never got the chance. A split second after the ninja appeared, Garoumaru leapt from hiding to tackle the shinobi, incapacitating him with a savage bite to the throat.

The original ninja looked only mildly distressed as he watched his teammate get taken down. "Heh, pretty damn good kid" Despite trying to sound nonchalant, there was the slightest tremor in his voice.

He assessed the situation quickly. Four teammates down in under two minutes. Opposition; one teenager and a wolf. With this information in mind, he made the choice that all sensible shinobi make when faced with a tough situation; he ran like hell.

But shiro was on him in a flash. With practiced speed, he knocked an arrow to his bow and drew back to his cheek. Taking aim, he let fly with a bolt that struck his enemy in the right middle abdomen, piercing right through him. He was fatally wounded, but too scared and stubborn to realize it at the moment.

"Kuso!" He knocked another arrow, and this time it found its mark. The man stumbled as he ran, pierced through the heart, and came to a rolling stop, quite dead.

"_Well, that was fun" _

"_Yes, but that was hardly the main base. A lookout at most. And their lack of identification disturbs me. We must report this to Oyabun-sama"_

"_Hai, Shiro-san."_

* * *

Naruto sighed as he looked down over the Hidden Leaf. It had been way too long since he'd had the time to do this, and it would be a miracle if he found it again in the near future. The view from atop Yondaime's head was, as usual, gorgeous, and was made all the more so by the clear, sunny days that graced Konoha in the summertime. On days like this, the vast green expanse that was the great forest of Fire Country was visible for days in any direction; Naruto even thought he could make out the scowling figures of the Shodaime and Nidaime overlooking the Valley of the End. 

But perhaps the best part of coming up here was that nobody bothered him. Whether it was because they couldn't find him or they didn't feel like making the long and somewhat treacherous climb, he couldn't tell, but it gave him the time and the freedom from distraction he needed to think clearly.

Now, most people who had spent five minutes around the energetic blonde would not have pegged Uzumaki Naruto as the thinking type. But, to the contrary, he had been an avid sit-and-thinker since he was a small boy, when, for lack of anything better to do, he had hours to simply stare out over the village and contemplate. In those days, he looked to the future; he would daydream about his reign as Hokage, when, finally, he would have the respect and acceptance he so desperately desired. But on this day, he looked to the past, because there was so much there that warranted thought.

He was a jounin now, an impressive feat for a twenty one year old. Sure, Kakashi- Sensei and Neji-san had gotten it before they were even eighteen, but Kakashi had grown up in a different time, when they were in desperate need of strong shinobi, and Neji had the advantage of not being absent from the village for years at a time. He had just recently gotten his own pack of Genin charges, another impressive feat for someone his age; only the most senior Jounin were entrusted with the future of the village.

Choji was dead, the first of the rookie nine to go, and that hurt. A lot. Not that Naruto had been the closest of friends with the guy, but he was the last person who deserved to die; his heart was pure, he loved his friends, and he fought tenaciously to defend his village and the people he considered worth fighting for. He deserved so much more than the kunai in the back he got on a B-rank mission in Wave Country.

But what really struck them deeply was that he was the first; people like Kakashi had spent their lives having friends killed; that didn't keep it from hurting, but they knew how to deal with it. But for the rookie nine, it was a new experience, and one none of them was prepared to deal with gracefully.

Sasuke was back; that was another big change. It had been three years since Naruto had dragged Sasuke's half dead body back through the gates of Konoha. Nobody knew what had transpired, and Naruto refused to answer questions on the matter, so most people assumed that Naruto, in his typical fashion, had simply beaten the crap out of him and dragged him home. As such, nobody expected him to stay long; "He'll be out of here again in two weeks" was the general consensus. But it had never happened, Sasuke had been a model patient in his stay at the hospital, even after he had gotten well enough to where he could probably escape. He had stayed put through his sentencing as well, though his placement in a maximum security cell may have influenced that.

His sentence was to be ten years in prison, followed by probation for life. However, due to his impeccable behavior, as well as his instrumental role in thwarting a mass prison uprising, the council of Konoha decided that they were wasting a perfectly good shinobi behind bars (after all, if he had wanted to escape, he would have lent his aid to the uprising, right?) and he was let out after only a year, though he was still under strict probation. That wasn't a problem though, since he proved to be not only a model member of the penal system, but a model citizen as well; he was always home on time, never once missed an appointment, and gave a portion of his salary to the fund for orphans and widows. He was even allowed to join the ANBU; but that was partially to make it easier on the agents assigned to watch him at all times.

And Sakura-chan did what she was best at; she confused the hell out of him. She was his best friend and closest confidant, and maybe more than that. Naruto knew that he loved the hell out of her, but he was certain that she didn't return his feelings; he knew she was over Sasuke, which was something of a minor victory in itself, but she never gave any indication that she returned his feelings. And for the life of him, he couldn't bring himself to talk to her about it, like he did pretty much every day when he was younger. Hitting on a thirteen year old girl and telling a twenty one year old woman that you're in love with her are two entirely different ballgames, and the last thing Naruto wanted to do was alienate her. After all, her friendship was better than nothing at all, right?

She was also a major contributing factor to at least half his injuries. She had given him the beating of a lifetime when Naruto had gotten back from fulfilling his "promise of a lifetime", mostly because he hadn't taken her along with him, and partially for making her worry over him for a year and a half. Luckily for him, she got over it quickly; her two best friends were back, one way or another.

Naruto sighed again, shaking himself out of his musings. Checking the angle of the sun in the sky (because all decent ninja know how to do cool stuff like tell time by the angle of the sun and read direction by the moss on trees), he supposed he had about an hour before he had to meet with Tsunade ba-chan.

"_Maybe the old hag finally came to her senses and decided to make me Hokage" _he mused to himself. But he knew that it was probably something vastly less interesting.

"_Probably something stupid. Maybe that Nara kid of mine got caught with a dirty book. Lil' perv"_

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his growling stomach. Naruto is a simple man; he eats when his body tells him he's hungry and sleeps when it tells him he's tired, and that morning it had apparently forgotten to tell him he was hungry. As such, he was famished.

"_Well, I've got an hour, might as well go to Ichiraku's. I hate going to long meetings on an empty stomach"_

With that thought, he leapt from his perch and began the descent into the village.

It would be a long time before he found the time to come back.

* * *

Shiro was irked. He really oughtn't have been, his performance at the camp was excellent work. 

_"A hell of a lot better than most kids my age could pull off" _he thought, but it gave him little comfort.

He had missed. He _never_ missed. He was one of the youngest master archers in the Hidden Fern's history, and heir to its most sacred bloodline. He had no excuse for missing that much on a ten yard shot. Was it a bad omen?

_"What's the matter, Shiro-san?" _Garoumaru asked with an edge of concern in his projected voice.

_"I missed, Garoumaru. That second to last shot was eight centimeters below and to the right of the right ventricle" _

"_Ahh, I think you're reading too deeply into this, Shiro-san. He was dead five seconds later, and you didn't even have your Kekkai-genkai engaged"_

"_True enough, but it still bothers me"_

The telepathic exchange over, he continued through the trees towards his home village, an uneasy feeling tugging at the back of his mind.

* * *

A/N: Well, first chapter of first fanfic. This chapter introduces the setting, and a few minor plot points. The second chapter should be up shortly, and should help introduce the main plotline. 

a few notes so you're not totally confused. First of all, if you think Sasuke is totally OOC, then you're right, but wrong. He has his motives, which will be revealed in subsequent chapters; Naruto beating the crap out of him didn't make him "see the light".

A Mechanical Release Aid is a clawlike device used for drawing a compound bow. It uses a trigger to release, and consequently leaves the hand free, which is why the archer can use seals while drawing the bow.

As for multiple arrow shot technique: contrary to urban myth, trying to fire multiple arrows from a bow would be disastrous. This jutsu works by creating "rails" of chakra which guide the multiple arrows down their appropriate paths, as well as adding chakra to the bowstring to attain the power needed to launch multiple projectiles.

Feel free to read and review.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, would I really be writing lame fanfics?**

Chapter 2

The Godaime Hokage frowned as she perused Jiraiya's report once more; it was clear, concise, and detailed, as per usual for his work. Tsunade made a note to find out where the hell that pervert got his information before the old codger bought it.

It was also borderline disastrous. The news was far from pleasant. The Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud had finalized their alliance treaty and brought the Hidden Moon into their fold, making them the single largest Shinobi faction in this corner of the world. On top of that, the Hidden Stone had just brought the Grass and Sound into its "protectionist" alliance.

This left the Leaf and Sand in a tight spot; the Sand had always been the smallest of the five great villages, and Konoha had never regained the numbers it had before the Sound and Leaf War. Although the shinobi of either village were easily superior to most others, and the Sand had recovered greatly since its weakness before the Sound and Leaf War, the fact of the matter was that they were the weakest of the great alliances, and the list of potential allies was shrinking fast; if they fought a multi-front war in this state, the Leaf would surely fall.

And then there was Akatsuki. They had been quiet for almost three years now, eluding even Jiraiya's substantial information network. All that Jiraiya had been able to come up with was that an organization known as "Yoinokuchi" had begun recruiting a large number of missing nin in the past year and a half. Whether or not they were connected to Akatsuki, however, could not be established, simply because they were nowhere to be found.

Tsunade refused to consider the possibility that they had disbanded; a threat that great could not be passed off, and besides, it wouldn't make sense. They had had tremendous success in gathering seven of the nine Bijuu, and their losses, while considerable, were not irreparable. Though Tsunade had tried many times to involve other villages in the hunt for the arch-criminals, they had not been enthused; let the fools kill themselves playing with demonic power, as far as they were concerned.

Speaking of Jinchuriki, where the hell was Naruto? He had been developing his old Sensei's nasty habit of chronic tardiness and, while Tsunade admitted that her meetings were not always the most exciting affairs, this was one she would have preferred he be on time to. She had hoped he would get the hint that it was important when she failed to mention what it would be about, which in Shinobi speak usually means "Top-Secret, take it seriously", but Naruto had never had much of a talent for reading between the lines.

A light knock at her door alerted her to Shizune's presence.

"Hai, Shizu-chan?"

"Gomen, Hokage-Sama. Naruto-kun is here for your meeting."

The Hokage quirked a small smile, despite knowing that she should be pissed as hell at him for being thirty minutes late. She couldn't help it. He did that to everyone who took the time to know him.

"Send the brat in, Shizu-chan."

A moment later, Shizune came in, the noisy blond in step.

He had changed a lot since she had first met him; Of course, that was to be expected of someone on the threshold of manhood, but it made the change no less astounding.

When she had met him, he was like a pot boiling over; he had been short, loud, abrasive, and full of more energy than he knew what to do with. He had lost none of his fire in his maturity, but he had learned to channel it. He had developed an insatiable enthusiasm for his job, and went at his duties and his training full force. His unruliness expressed itself in a cheeky sense of humor, and his once explosive aura of energy had toned itself down to a dull roar.

Physically, he had changed just as much. He was tall now; a few centimeters taller than his idol, the Yondaime. At some point in the past two years, he had decided to start growing his hair out, and his wild mane now fell over the nape of his neck and just barely brushed the upper reaches of his vision. Hell, if he had been born nearer to Tsunade's age, she would have been all over that.

And finally, someone had gotten him to stop wearing blaze orange. Tsunade mentally reminded herself that she must thank that wonderful soul some day. In lieu of his infamous orange outfit, he now wore a black T-shirt with his Chuunin flak jacket, and black shorts that came down to just below his knees; the shuriken holsters and supply bags were in their familiar places. Overall, a much more appropriate ensemble for a shinobi.

"Well, oba-chan? You were the one that called this meeting, so… is there a good reason for me to be here, or did you just want to stare?"

_"Crap". _This always happened when she was overworked; she got _weird. _And sometimes forgot when other people were in the room. How could she cover this blunder? Considering her options, she went with being abrasive; he had always been receptive to that approach.

"Damnit Naruto, one day I'm going to teach you respect. I assume there's a _good _reason for you to be thirty minutes late to our little meeting?"

Naruto gave her a sheepish grin before responding. "Well… I was hungry, and your meetings always take forever! So I figured I oughta fill up. Might be a long ways to dinner, ya know?"

Tsunade let out a snort, a less than subtle hint (read: even Naruto could pick up on it) that his excuse was not satisfactory. Was this kid really the best candidate to be the next Hokage? The scary truth was, yes, in fact he was.

"Why I let you get away with these things I'll never know. Now listen up, because you may find that you like this meeting. I have a mission for you, A-rank."

Naruto gave her an incredulous look.

"I do A-rank missions all the time. Comes with the territory of being a Jounin, ya know?" There was the faintest hint of bragging in his voice.

"What's so special about this one?"

"Simple, brat, this one is going to help you on your way to becoming Hokage."

Naruto perked immediately at the word 'Hokage'. Christ, he was such a kid some times.

"Ok, so you've piqued my interest. What's up?"

Tsunade smiled, anticipating his reaction. "I need you to kill some bandits."

It took all of Naruto's willpower to suppress the urge to face vault. "That's C-rank business. Genin level work. Why is this an A-rank mission?"

"The bandit group is large, and they appear to be shinobi."

"Ok, so It's a B-rank mission. Chuunin level work. And more importantly, I fail to see how this helps me in becoming Hokage. What aren't you telling me here, Oba-chan?"

Tsunade had to smile. So he could pick up hints after all. Maybe he wasn't completely hopeless.

"Very good, Naruto. You _are _smarter than you look."

Naruto snorted. What about him looked stupid?

"This mission is more than just beating the crap out of some bandits, though I'm sure you'll excel at that part. This mission is a _diplomatic _mission, and a Hokage must be, first and foremost, a good diplomat. We've been contracted by the Hidden Fern village to take care of this bandit menace."

Naruto gave her a quizzical look. "A hidden village? Shouldn't they be able to take care of it themselves?"

"Normally, yes, but the Hidden Fern, while powerful, is a small village, and many of it's ninja are currently contracted outside of the country. In addition, the bandit group is large and well organized, enough so to possibly launch an attack on the hidden fern. Thus, the number of ninja they are able to send on operations outside of the village are limited, since they need to keep a defense force there at all times. So they contracted the mission to us."

Naruto gave her look number three, which, translated roughly means "I don't quite understand what you mean but I'm going to pretend I do to avoid looking like an idiot".

"Kay, but how's it a diplomatic mission?"

Tsunade sighed, a common occurrence when explaining things to Naruto. How could such a brilliant ninja be such a dense human being?

"I take it you didn't pay attention to history at the academy? Not even the parts about the secret world wars?"

Naruto grinned. "Only enough to figure out what days those lessons were so I could skip em'."

"Well, listen up, because you're about to get a history lesson. Before each world war began, there was a several year long period of 'jockeying for position', so to speak. People secured alliances, harassed other hidden villages, and stockpiled resources as they waited for someone to screw up and trigger the whole damn thing. Now then, a lesson in making connections. How can we connect those past events to the situation today?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Well, I heard that the Cloud and Mist have worked out an alliance treaty, and the Stone has expanded it's alliance with some of those smaller villages. You think they're preparing for war?"

"Naruto, the Fourth Secret World War has been going on for at least four years now, if I figure right. The Shinobi nations have grown fat from peace, and have been eyeing each other's holdings covetously for years now. The minor villages want to see an end to the domination of the great villages, though that hasn't stopped them from making alliances with them."

Tsunade paused for breath before continuing.

"Similarly, the great nations want to conquer and consolidate their power. They would love nothing more than to absorb a minor nation or two and see one of the five great countries fall; Their clientele would soar. On top of that, the fighting would clear out some of the riff raff, leaving the greater spoils to be divided among fewer Shinobi. Everyone wins. Except the ones who die, of course. And this is where, finally, the diplomatic portion of the mission comes in."

"Neh, Tsunade ba-chan." Naruto interjected. Tsunade nodded, signaling him to continue, having long since gotten over the less than respectful title.

"Why are the Shinobi Nations so standoffish about starting this fight? Wouldn't the nation that struck first have the advantage in this fight? After all, isn't shinobi saying #27 'He that strikes first most often strikes last as well'?"

Tsunade was impressed. He actually remembered some of those hokey old sayings they'd had to memorize at the academy.

"True enough, except for the politics of the thing. You see, whoever strikes first is inevitably the person who will start the war. And nobody likes to start wars, Naruto; they just like to finish them. People who start wars are tyrants, warmongers, savages, and conquerors; those who end them are heroes, peacemakers, defenders of the innocent, and incredibly good looking. If the nation that starts the war is defeated, than it's over for them. They'll be ripped apart by peace treaties and reparations agreements. And if you'll remember, Shinobi Saying #12 is 'The Shinobi does not enter the battle without knowing how he is going to leave it'."

Tsunade winced slightly as she said it. Those shinobi sayings, effective as they were, were damn cheesy. Once again, she found herself needing to pause for breath before continuing.

"So no one seeks to begin the war. They all wait for someone to slip up. It doesn't have to be big. A small altercation between foreign ninja is all it takes to instigate the war; it doesn't even have to be fatal. And the other sides will invariably find an excuse to enter the fray. Most likely it will be something about 'concerns over foreign aggression' or something equally trivial."

At this point, Naruto looked genuinely interested. He may not have been much for subtlety, but he loved politics and intrigue all the same. He had trained himself to when he was younger, figuring he'd need to enjoy it if he was going to be Hokage some day.

"Go on, you've got my attention."

"Good. Because this part is important. Naruto, right now the Sand and Leaf alliance is the weakest of the Shinobi factions; while our ninja are individually among the finest in the world, there are too few of them. Most of the other nations have not had a real war in the past fifteen years, where as the Sand and Leaf have been weakened by conflicts of the last decade. We need allies, and the list grows short."

It was at this point that the light turned on and Naruto caught on. A grin made it's way slowly across his face, like a kid who just figured out that you put the square peg in the square hole.

"So you want me to seek an alliance with the Hidden Fern, while at the same time showing them that we're strong and reliable ninja by kicking the shit out of these bandit jerks?"

Tsunade smiled. "Exactly. The Hidden Fern are strong, and their Forest Country protects our northern border from a major threat, The Hidden Cloud. It is said that none can defeat the Hidden Fern shinobi when they retreat into the trees."

"So is this a solo mission, or do I get a team?" he was trying desperately not to sound as excited as he was.

"I'm sending three four man teams, you can choose all the members, although I insist on a few things. One, I expect you to use reasonable discretion in choosing the members of this team, since you'll be representing the Hidden Leaf. For the love of god, don't take Kiba. And two, I will insist on picking at least one of the team members."

Naruto gave her an incredulous look, completely unnerved by the coy smile she flashed at him. "Who?"

"Don't worry, I think you'll like her." She pressed an intercom button on her desk "Send her in, Shizu-chan."

Her? What the hell?

A moment later, his inner question was answered as Haruno Sakura walked through the door.

"Oh, it's just you."

In truth, he was elated, but he wasn't about to give the old hag the victory of seeing it. It had been forever since he had gotten a chance to work with Sakura on a mission. Hell, it had been over a month since he had even gotten to _see _her. Her work with the Medical Division kept her busier than he'd have liked.

And, in his opinion, she looked more beautiful than ever. She had grown up as well, and in all the ways that drove guys wild. In Naruto's opinion, her body was in perfect proportion; nothing was too big or too small. The standard Jounin outfit she wore was far too practical for her own good, as far as he was concerned. And sometime recently, she had decided to allow her hair to grow long, and it now hung low on the back of ner neck, brushing the nape just below where it connected to her shoulders.

_"Good, she looks better with long hair."_

Naruto's gawking was ended abruptly by a bitch slap that dislocated his jaw. It is never wise to forget Haruno Sakura's impeccable chakra control.

"JUST ME? I WORK LIKE A DOG FOR THE PAST MONTH, LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN I COULD SEE YOU AGAIN AND I GET A 'JUST YOU'?!?! SCREW YOU!"

Yup, it was definitely his Sakura-chan. Thorns and all.

"Er, sorry Sakura-chan, it's just that Oba-chan made it sound like someone really special."

Will he ever learn?

He was on the ground in a second flat, clutching his abused jaw. Some of his molars were a tad lose.

Sakura knelt down next to him as she applied a healing hand to his sore jaw. The "beat the crap out of Naruto" was an old tradition between them; a completely screwed up means of greeting each other, but it worked with them. Honestly, she only hit him that hard because she knew that he was a good sport and his jaw would be fine in thirty seconds. It was all in good fun, right?

They stood up, Naruto feeling a great numbing sensation where she had abused and then healed his jaw. She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek she had so recently abused, another step in the weird, sadomasochistic greeting ritual of Naruto and Sakura.

"In all serious, it's good to see you again." he hated it when she did that. It drove him absolutely crazy.

She turned to acknowledge her Sensei, who looked _infinitely _amused at the situation.

"Ohayo, Godaime-Sama. What is it you needed from me?"

Tsunade smiled. The girl was, in many ways, Naruto's complete opposite. She was observant, intelligent, practical, and, above all, appropriately respectful to her elders and betters.

_"They'd make such a cute couple." _she mused quietly to herself.

"Yes, Sakura-san, I have good news for you, assuming you enjoy spending time around the blond baka. You're going to be taking a 'vacation' of sorts from your duties with the medical unit; you'll be accompanying Naruto on a mission. Since I've already wasted a good deal of my afternoon trying to explain it to him, I'll save myself the trouble and let him explain it to you. Though I'm confident that you'll pick it up faster than he did."

Naruto looked supremely offended. "Neh, Neh. Screw you hag."

A playful grin flickered across the Godaime's face.

"Flattered as I am, I'm thirty seven years your senior. It would be like cradle robbing!"

"Damnit, not like that you old pervert! You're freakin' worse than Jiraiya." Thoroughly disgusted with the mental image of a fifty eight year old Tsunade and him… _together…_(he still didn't know what she looked like without her transformation) he left the room, Sakura a few steps behind.

Shizune sighed. What self respecting fifty eight year old woman acted like a fourteen year old boy?

* * *

Tsunade looked at her wall clock; it was twenty to four, fifteen minutes since Naruto and Sakura had left. She was getting annoyed. She knew he was there, and he knew she knew he was there; so what the hell was he doing? She decided to confront him directly. 

"How long do you plan to sit out there, Jiraiya?" The question had been addressed to the room, almost as though she were thinking aloud.

A few seconds later, the old Sannin leapt through the window sill, because Jiraiya is too damn cool to use doors. He looked miffed.

"How could you see through my transparent escape technique?" There was an edge of annoyance in his voice. He didn't like it when his number one spying technique was rendered trivial.

Tsunade smirked. "Hell Jiraiya, we've been partners so long, I can practically feel it when you're in the area. As much as we bicker, we're like an old married couple."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Without the sex."

"Well hime, there was that _one _time…"

Tsunade gave him an icy glare which said clear as day that "that topic is not, has not, and will not be open for discussion".

Jiraiya looked scared as hell; remember the exchange between Naruto and Sakura? Well, Jiraiya and Tsunade have a similar ritual, the difference being that it was far less friendly and far more dangerous to the receiving party. Feeling that he had been sufficiently humbled, Tsunade continued.

"What have you got for me?"

A haggard sigh escaped his lips as he cracked his neck "Not much, unfortunately. Still nothing on the Akatsuki. The worst part is that I know exactly what that means; they're planning _something _, but their keeping it so well hidden that even I can't figure out what's going on."

Tsunade paused before asking her next question; even though it had been nearly thirty years, Jiraiya had never gotten over his best friend's defection. It had left a scar on his conscious and on his psyche that would probably never go away.

"And Orochimaru?"

"Again, no idea, and not for lack of trying. Do you think the Uchiha kid really did him in that time?"

"I'd love to, I really would. But I can't. The last time we dropped our guard, he up and destroyed half the village. Where he's concerned, I won't be satisfied till I see his dead body, or whichever one he's using at the time, at my feet."

Jiraiya nodded. He couldn't say he disagreed with her. Having finished his rather uneventful report, he changed the topic to one that had been worrying him for a long time; his student.

"How's Naruto taking the whole Jounin thing? I haven't been able to talk to him since he got promoted."

Tsunade smiled, thinking about the blond ball of energy. "Wonderfully. He just got his own Genin team a few weeks ago. They kind of remind me of us, if you replaced the creepy bastard with a lazy pervert."

Jiraiya smirked. _"sound like my kind of kids". _

"But someone that young, Tsunade? Nobody that young has ever been assigned a Genin team; the only one to come close was the Fourth, and he was a good three years older than Naruto is."

Tsunade snorted. "Don't be foolish; Naruto is perfect for the job. He's strong, and he's got more than enough energy to keep those kids under control. Though he doesn't often act it, he's smart when he puts his mind into something. He can figure out their strengths and weaknesses and knows how to use that information to make them the best ninja they can be. And he knows his job as a Jounin sensei; he's not just teaching them, he's protecting them. He would never let them get into a situation they couldn't get out of, and if they accidentally stumbled into one, he would give his life to make sure they got out alive. In short, he's a perfect leader."

Jiraiya grinned. "An excellent segue into my next question; Tsunade, why isn't that kid the Hokage? He's _ready, _Hime. He's obviously strong enough. He may be the strongest ninja in the village, and in the Hidden Leaf, that's saying something. He has the heart for it; despite what they've done to him, he loves this village more than anything, and will die protecting it. And he's smart in the way that matters most. He's smart enough to know when he doesn't know a damn thing at all, and humble enough to seek out those who do. There is no better candidate for the job."

He paused for breath, a little scared at what he was about to say. Tsunade did _not _like to talk about her age, but it was critical to this discussion.

"And, as good as you are at hiding it, you're getting old, Tsunade-hime. You're not as old as Sandaime was when he bought it, but you're getting there, and faster than either of us would like to admit. Old Kages are weak Kages, you know that; we may be ninja, but we're not immune to old age. If Sandaime had fought Orochimaru ten, hell, even five years earlier, the results would have been different, and we wouldn't be in this mess today. So, why not just give your job to Naruto, and retire to the medical unit?"

Tsunade looked on the edge of tears. She had given this topic more thought than he knew; god, if only he knew how much she wanted to do it. And frankly, it frustrated the hell out of her. Naruto deserved it more than anyone, but more importantly, the village needed him more than they knew.

After a moment of reflection, she answered him. "I know, Jiraiya, hell, I know better than you how ready the kid is. I see him almost every day. And I know that I'm getting old, and I know that the village needs him to be it's Hokage more than they'll ever realize."

Her next words were laced with bitterness. "It's not even a question of him being ready for them. The problem is, the idiots aren't ready for him. There are still too many who look at him and only see the Kyuubi that destroyed the village. If I made him Hokage now, the village would tear itself apart faster than any ninja war could."

Jiraiya frowned. He had known this would be a problem. But jeez, the kid had already saved the village from a raging jinchuriki and defeated S-class ninja, what the hell else did they want from him?

"So when will he be ready?"

"Honestly, I don't know, but they're going to have to get over it fast; I can't do this much longer, Jiraiya." She paused, considering her next words. "But, there is some hope for them coming around."

"What's that?"

"This ninja war. Heroes and villains always come out of wars. Maybe this will give Naruto the opportunity to become the hero the village needs, like Yondaime in the third ninja war."

Jiraiya scowled. "So you're saying that the only hope for the village is for the brat to become a legend?"

"Pretty much."

* * *

Sasuke yawned as he walked up the steps to his apartment. Good thing for him his ANBU schedule wore him out, otherwise he might find this seven o' clock curfew ridiculous. 

He stepped up to his door and began to pick the lock; he hadn't used a key since he had started renting the place. Having successfully unlocked the door (in record time, he was happy to note) he carefully disarmed the simple kunai and barrier traps he had placed on the door before stepping in.

You see, Sasuke is a guy with a lot… eccentricities, which is to be expected from someone who's entire family was murdered when he was seven. He was a little paranoid, and a little narcissistic (though he was getting better about that particular quirk) but more than anything, Uchiha Sasuke was driven. And one weird outlet of that drive was that Sasuke _loved_ turning everyday activities like "entering your home" into training exercises.

The three room apartment was simple; there was no frivolity about it, much like its occupant. There was a very organized and neat kitchen with a table for two (he rarely had people over, and had perhaps once had two other people in his apartment at a time; a larger table was unnecessary) which connected to an equally spartan living room. He had exactly one couch squarely facing a TV, which had two purposes; watching the news and playing his extensive VHS anime collection (remember what we said about eccentricities?). He had exactly one picture, which rested on a coffee table in front of the couch; it was the one of team seven, just after they had become a team. He kept telling himself that he kept it there at Naruto's insistence, but he knew better. They were his friends, something he was just starting to appreciate the value of.

He collapsed on the couch, totally exhausted. He was one of the best, and as such they kept him busy. Even when not on missions, they found no shortage of crap to waste his time with, from village patrols to delivering messages to training new recruits; it was exhausting work. Hell, he'd probably be a captain by now if it wasn't for the fact that he had a record.

He checked his wall calendar. It was Tuesday, five days since Friday; he smiled. He would have company this evening. He went out to the small patio at the back of his apartment, the one that looked out over the forest, and waited. Fifteen minutes later, tired of waiting, he spoke up.

"Shino, I know you're in the third branch from the top of the tree to my right, and I really don't see why we have to do this every time."

Aburame Shino poked his masked head out from the branches of the aforementioned tree. Sasuke would never get why he insisted on wearing the hooded ANBU jackets, even in the summertime; the standard jumpsuits were far more practical.

"_suppose it fits in with his aesthetic" _he mused to himself.

"Ahh, Sasuke-san, I like to keep a certain amount of decorum about my job. I have to at least make an effort to monitor you stealthily, do I not?" he paused a moment, thoughtful.

"And how do you always know when it's my watch? Those schedules are only passed out by the captains to the agents involved."

Sasuke gave Shino his trademark smug smirk, the one that says "yeah, I'm a badass, what of it?"

"Simple. I filch one from the captain's desk every now and then." He could have sworn he saw Shino's eye twitch beneath the mask.

"…How?"

Sasuke's smirk broadened into a true grin, a rare occurrence for the dark shinobi. "Simple. I'm the best. Now, are you going to come down from there?"

Shino chuckled as he leapt from his perch onto the balcony railing. "Well, there's no denying that. You know, you'd probably be a captain if it wasn't for your record."

Ever so slightly, Sasuke twitched. Shino caught the subtle movement and chuckled to himself. It was always gave him a sense of accomplishment to find a chink in the Uchiha heir's armor.

Ignoring the satisfied look in Shino's eye, Sasuke excused himself for a moment. He cam back carrying something that looked vaguely like a bottle of wine. "Shocu?" he asked, inviting Shino to drink with him.

"Remember what I said about keeping a certain amount of decorum about my job? Part of that is not drinking on the job."

Sasuke smiled. "Well fine, if it's gotta be like that." Sasuke poured himself a glass. "Still, you're better than most. You and Kiba are the only ones that talk to me like this, the others just sit in the tree and try to pretend they're not there, even when I call them by name. It's kind of entertaining, but a little insulting, to be frank. As if I don't know they're there."

A thought struck Shino. "Shouldn't alcohol be against the terms of your probation?"

"Well, yes, but I was paroled at nineteen, and they neglected to add a "no substance abuse" clause. My good luck I suppose."

Shino paused a moment, somewhat reluctant to ask his next question. He knew Sasuke well enough to know that he was a guarded man, and his next line of questioning was getting dangerously close to that part of him that he kept to himself.

Choosing his words carefully, Shino pressed on. "Sasuke-San… why do you do it?"

Sasuke looked at him blankly. He made it a point never to look confused, though he was at the moment. "Come again?"

"I can't say I knew you very well before your defection, but I knew you well enough to know that this isn't like you; you never had much respect for authority, but since your return, and aside from stealing guard schedules **_(cough)_** you haven't just been a model prisoner; you've been a model citizen. You got out of prison in record time for saving the village from a prison riot, you're always home on time, you have a one hundred percent mission success rate; Hell, you donate half your mediocre salary to the orphans and widows fund. I refuse to believe that Naruto's beating the crap out of you made you 'see the light'. The world doesn't work that way and you don't work that way. The Sasuke I recall from eight years ago would have been gone as soon as he was strong enough to stand. I consider you a friend, Sasuke-san, and as your friend I want to know what's going on."

Sasuke sipped his Shocu thoughtfully, considering how he should word his answer. Why not? Shino was one of the few people he had taken into his trust, and was probably as close a friend as the Uchiha was willing to have; after Naruto and Sakura, but you wouldn't catch him admitting that to anyone.

"Well, the answer is simple. Accepting the terms of my parole is the only way I can be a Shinobi of Konoha, and being a Shinobi of Konoha is the only way I can get my revenge against that bastard brother of mine." Though he tried to maintain his mask of calmness, his last words seethed with his hatred for the man.

Shino was surprised, to say the least, but he was also a master of hiding his emotions. "So it does come back to that, does it?"

"Of course. Why people think I would have simply given up on that is beyond me. Oh, and as for Naruto beating the crap out of me?"

"Well, he practically had to drag your corpse back to the village, and since both of you declined to comment, people simply assumed…"

Sasuke smirked. "It was nothing like that. Naruto has not and can not 'kick my ass'."

Shino raised an inquiring eyebrow. His interest had been piqued.

"So then, what did happen?"

Sasuke stared into his glass, briefly mulling over the events that had brought him to Konoha.

**_Flashback:_**

_It hurt. As a matter of fact, it hurt a whole hell of a lot. Broken bones tend to do that, and he had more than he cared to think about._

_What hurt almost as much, though, was the bitter taste of his failure. He had failed. He had thrown away everything he had in Konoha to pursue ultimate power, subjected his body to so much torture and training and performance enhancing drugs, all to achieve success when it mattered most._

_And still, he had failed._

_He was an idiot. He should have known that Akatsuki, an organization of the most brilliant Shinobi in the world, would develop a counter to their enemies most potent weapon, the curse seals. He was an idiot._

_And then that bastard had to go and rub it in._

_"Foolish ototo."_

_Sasuke hated that tag line, and hated even more that he was in no position to do anything about it._

_"You attempted to defeat me with a power that is not your own, and this is the result. You neglected your true strength for what was easy and fast; you disappoint me."_

_Itachi paused a moment, partly to let Sasuke stew and partly to consider what he should do with him. He had potential, but his heart was weak; instead of strengthening his resolve, his hatred clouded his judgment. In short, he was useless._

_"In fact, ototo, you have disappointed me three times now. Though you have the strength, you do not have the heart of a killer, and are useless to me. Goodbye, ototo."_

_Sasuke was astounded to find that he really didn't care. As long as Itachi didn't use Tsukuyomi to kill him, it was all the same to him. He was a failure, and a smudge on his familie's honor. At least this way, Itachi would carry the fear of the Uchiha clan name on into legend._

_Sasuke was mildly surprised when a spinning kick sent Itachi flying across the clearing. More so when Naruto appeared in his field of vision. Great, now the blond baka would see his pathetic state. He'd never live this down. _

_Naruto snickered. "Neh, short guy can't really take a kick, can he?" _

_Itachi's eyes narrowed. This was… unexpected. And bad. Though he had beaten his little brother, he had expended a large amount of chakra. He never said the kid wasn't good. If he were fresh, he could probably use the Tsukuyomi to grind Naruto into submission, but as it stood he was too exhausted. His normal Ninjutsu and Genjutsu were formidable, but he was tired, and Naruto was fresh. If he could take on Kakuzu, could he take a chakra depleted Itachi?_

_Itachi considered his options. Sasuke posed no threat; he was harmless, leaving him alive would not matter. And Itachi was smart; he didn't fight battles he wasn't reasonably certain he could win. Without a word, he retreated into the trees. He would have many chances to face the Kyuubi container; it would be foolish to do so at such a disadvantage._

_"Well… that was anticlimactic" But Naruto couldn't say it bothered him. He had not relished the prospect of facing Itachi in combat; but he would do it for his friend. Speaking of which…_

_"You look like shit, neh?" he turned to face Sasuke, who was glaring up at him._

_Sasuke was less than amused. The last thing he wanted was the dobe's sympathy."Why are you here?" _

_"Jeesh, you'd think he'd be a little more thankful to the man that saved his ass"_

_"And you'd think you would learn that orange was a stupid color for a ninja to wear."_

_Naruto smirked. So he _was _still in there. "True enough. But as to your question, I'm here to bring you home."_

_Sasuke smiled just a little, trying not to let it show. You had to commend his tenacity, at least. "What part of me beating the crap out of you didn't you understand?"_

_"Oh, I understood perfectly. I understood that _you _don't know what's good for you. And I was right. Three years with that snake bastard and this is what it got you."_

_Shit. He was right. And Sasuke hated it when the idiot was right. Even more, he hated it when he was wrong._

_"What do you want with me?" his voice was barely above a whisper, and he sounded almost resigned. At this point there was pretty much nothing he could do to stop the blond from dragging him home. _

_"Well ya see, here's how I look at it. You have three options. One, you can wander around till you find Itachi again and get your ass kicked… again. You can try going back to the sound for more training, where you won't learn anything and might get your body stolen by that slippery perv, if he found a way to preserve his spirit. You can go around to some of the other villages, where you'll be killed on sight for the reward money."_

_Oddly enough, the Baka was making a good point. None of those options seemed very attractive. Home was sounding better all the time._

"_Or, I can take you back to Konoha. You'll probably serve a prison sentence, but it'll be light since your betrayal didn't involve any deaths, and you did a major number on a Konoha S-class missing nin. You'll get paroled if you behave yourself and you'll be allowed to return to work as a ninja on probation, because Konoha can't afford to have a shinobi of your caliber gathering dust right now. We'll get strong together and then we'll go after Itachi and kick his ass!"_

_"And what if I want to kick Itachi's ass myself?"_

_"Then you're s.o.l, because I have just as much reason to want to kick his ass as you do."_

_Sasuke looked at him incredulously. "And what might that be?"_

_Naruto flashed him a foxy grin before answering. "Simple. He caused my best friend in the world a lifetime of pain for his own gratification; why shouldn't I get to help you kick his ass?"_

_Sasuke smiled. He couldn't help it. The blond idiot did that to people. For a second, he felt like he was thirteen and at the Chuunin exams again, the time when he had almost broken free of the stranglehold Itachi held on his heart._

_Naruto took his silence as a yes, and moved to pick up his wounded friend. It was a long way to Konoha, might as well get started. Sasuke stopped him._

_"Are you a complete idiot? You have to splint this leg before you move me. And…" he had a hard time with the next part, because apologies just weren't Sasuke's style. "I'm sorry". It was quiet, and a bit rushed, but it was genuine, and that's what mattered._

_Naruto smiled. "No problem, teme."_

_**End Flashback:**_

Sasuke was on his third glass of Shocu, and starting to feel a little tipsy when he finished his story.

Shino was shocked. He didn't know what to say. So, he decided for something that had been bothering him for a while.

"So… that prison riot was pretty convenient for you, wasn't it?"

Sasuke gave him a creepy little smile, something he had inadvertently picked up from Orochimaru. Shino shuddered.

"Not quite."

Realization dawned on Shino in an instant.

"You mean you…"

"Yes."

"How?!"

"Genjutsu."

"You mean to tell me that you hypnotized the entire prison in order to instigate a prison riot, only so you could stop it and prove your loyalty to konoha? And don't they bind your chakra in those places?"

Sasuke felt like laughing. It was a great plan. One of the best plans he had ever made. It was why he was the best.

"Not quite. I only hypnotized the influential inmates. The rest just went along with their plan. That's how it works in there. And as for the chakra binds." Sasuke snorted just a bit. "You think Orochimaru-_sensei_ didn't teach me how to break those?"

Shino was utterly shocked; he didn't even try to put on his emotionless mask. It was diabolical. It was brilliant. It was, in short, why he was the best.

"Well, I'm officially speechless, Sasuke-san. But tell me, why all the donations to the orphans and widows fund? Is it part of your 'reformed member of society' act?"

Sasuke's face turned dark. "Because being an orphan sucks and they deserve five times the attention this pathetic village gives them. I have a heart, you know."

Shino was a bit taken aback, but smiled anyway. "You know what, Sasuke-san? I still don't get you."

* * *

Sakura sighed. A mission with Naruto. She was excited and apprehensive all at once. It had been way to long since she had talked to him, and, between telling her about all about his new Genin team and the goings on in his personal life, it was nearing early evening by the time they had gotten around to talking about the mission. 

Naturally, Naruto had offered to talk to her about it over dinner, which he thought was an amazingly clever ploy to get a date out of her. Of course, she accepted on the grounds that it was pure business, because Sakura was practical and Naruto was a gentleman; Naruto always offered to pay and she never turned down a free meal.

And now, it was the next morning. Naruto had gone to show the list of Shinobi he had chosen for the mission to the Hokage, and Sakura was left to sort through supplies. Kunai, Shuriken, medical supplies, scrolls, camping supplies; it was dull work, to say the least.

But she wasn't even thinking about it. She was thinking about Naruto. She was a smart girl; she could tell that he cared for her as more than a friend, and probably had for a long time now. Hell, he could probably have any girl he wanted if he put his mind to it, but he had never really tried. He had had a handful of halfhearted relationships in the past few years, but Sakura suspected that was just to maintain appearances.

Did he love her? She didn't think so, because if he did the idiot wouldn't let simple things like tact or shyness stand in the way of his proclamation. And did she love him? She suspected not; she had been in love once, and it had sucked, and it had felt nothing like how she felt with Naruto. It had been nothing but rejection and heartbreak, and even though Sasuke had finally apologized to her nearly a year ago, it still hurt to think about that night when her world crashed down around her.

Not that she thought Naruto would ever leave her like that; she had been pissed when he left her alone to go after Sasuke, but he had his reasons, whatever those may have been. But the kid was destined to die young, as far as she was concerned, and the last thing she needed was another broken heart. But regardless of their non-romantic involvement, they definitely had a connection that ran deeper than friendship; in short, it was best-friendship.

Having checked and double-checked her provisions, she made her way to the bridge, where she met with Naruto. He gave her the smile he always gave her and for a brief moment, she realized why he was such a great friend; even in the dark, he radiated a great energy, as if someone had taken all the light of a thousand years of sun and stuffed it into a human body. When she was around him, she had the unexplainable feeling that, regardless of how bad the situation looked, everything would work out somehow. The moment was short lived, however, as she soon got caught up in the business of the mission, and when they left the village that afternoon, speeding through the trees towards the Hidden Fern village, the feeling of Naruto was lost in an immense cloud of doubt that she couldn't quite explain.

* * *

The captain was getting restless; the orders should have come by now. The longer they sat here, the more shinobi were wasted by the hunters of the Hidden Fern village. He had already lost three of his outpost camps to raiders; it had gotten bad enough that he had recalled the rest to the main camp. He hated losing soldiers, and his superiors dragging their feet was losing him men. 

He was part of an advanced ANBU team, which was put in charge of a larger group of shinobi from the Cloud and Mist alliance. The Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist had determined that the Hidden Fern was a threat that needed to be weakened before the war broke out, if not entirely eliminated. So, the Mist, who among all the shinobi villages were the most ruthless, holding little respect even for the few rules the shinobi placed on themselves, had devised a plan. Lead a large force into the Forest Country disguised as bandits, weaken the supply lines and, if possible, attack the Hidden Fern directly. The plan was, in theory, flawless. There was nothing to tie the shinobi invaders to any country, so it couldn't instigate the war, but it could eliminate a powerful threat.

The captain smirked. The fools had no idea what was about to hit them.

Suddenly, from the soft ground that his tent rested upon, _something _began to grow. It was like a massive Venus Fly Trap, which grew to six feet in height before it began to open up. And it was wearing a _robe. _But it was what was inside the flytrap that was most astounding; it was a man. The single creepiest looking man on the face of the earth; either naturally or through body modification, his body was different colors along his lateral line of symmetry, one side being black, the other being white.

The captain smiled; no one could make an entrance like Zetsu.

He bowed. "I trust you have orders for me, Zetsu-Sama?"

Zetsu sneered. "You know why I'm here, Captain. You will commence the attack in five days; make sure your shinobi wear all the identifying material they have. The leader said he wanted a 'blaringly obvious' kind of aesthetic. You will tell them that this order came directly from the Kage's council, in a sealed scroll that burned itself after having been read. And to seal the deal, you will demand that the Hidden Fern surrender to the Hidden Cloud and it's allies. There will be Konoha shinobi there as well; let at least one of them escape, in case you overrun the village."

"So the Akatsuki is finally ready for the war, are they?"

"This war has always and will continue to be waged on our terms. You can not possibly know the influence we have among the Shinobi nations."

"You mean with other agents, like me?"

"We have pawns in every nation."

The captain was impressed. There was no finer engine of intrigue and destruction than the Akatsuki and their affiliates. And the way Zetsu managed to talk out of alternating sides of his mouth was downright impressive.

Zetsu quirked an eye at him "I trust you will not fail us, captain?"

The captain knelt before him. "Of course not, Zetsu-Sama. I personally guarantee that this mission will be a success."

Zetsu, seeming satisfied, began his retreat into the earth, going back the way he had come. It had been a good day, in his opinion.

The great domino chain of events had been set in motion, and he had been given the privilege of being the one to initiate it. _"Soon, very soon..." _he thought. _"The Shinobi nations will fall, and only Akatsuki will be left."_

* * *

A/N: Well, there you have the much longer chapter 2. The plot moves forward a bit, we're introduced to Sasuke, and we figure out where the first half of chapter one comes into this. 

A note on rating: This may evolve into an M rated fic, because T rating explicitly states "some violence", and if I'm writing about a shinobi war it may involve more than "some violence". Plus, it gives me a little more freedom with my language, though I don't plan to abuse that.

Read and Review. Tell me you hate it, tell me you love it, whatever, as long as you don't insult me personally I'm down with whatever anyone has to say.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't owns teh Naruto.**

Chapter 3

The trip to Hidden Fern had been almost drearily uneventful. Naruto had spent a lot of the time catching up with Sakura, quietly of course, but beyond that there wasn't much to impede their progress. The three shinobi squads had, with practiced grace, maintained a breakneck speed for two days straight until they reached the border between Fire Country and Forest Country. Naruto had insisted that they double-time it (which for a ninja is freaking fast) in order to make a good impression on the Oyabun of the Hidden Fern. During the trip, it occurred to him that he had never been there. Hell, he hadn't even heard much about it.

All Tsunade had told him was that it was a small country that liked to keep to itself. Roughly ninety percent of it was forestland that backed up to the mountains of lightning country, and the rest was river valley and farmland. The people farmed and mined some at the base of the mountains; oddly enough, they did _not _export lumber. In fact, their only major export from within the forestlands was a rare kind of mushroom, valued for it's delicate flavor. It was grown in a semi-natural state in small villages that dotted the deeper parts of the forest. Naruto thought that he would very much like to see one of the forest villages; they sounded beautiful.

But the description was nothing compared to the real thing; Forest Country was gorgeous. Naruto would never forget the first time he saw it.

They had been traveling for two days almost without rest. By Naruto's estimation, they should have been reaching the border any second, but Tsunade had said little about it; she had mentioned that a river valley was the boundary between the two nations, but beyond that he wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for, though he wasn't overly concerned; how many river valleys could there be in this direction from Konoha, right?

At that moment, Konohamaru came bolting towards him from the trees up ahead, apparently to deliver his report.

"There's a clearing up ahead, Naruto-nichan."

Naruto looked thoughtful. "How big a clearing?"

Konohamaru gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head "Er, I didn't check nichan. I saw the trees thin out ahead and reported straight back to you."

Sakura cracked a small smile. "Well, he may not be very smart, but at least he's enthusiastic."

Naruto just shook his head. "Whatever, we'll stop up there."

Five minutes later, Naruto saw the thinning of the trees that Konohamaru had mentioned. He signaled his Shinobi to stop, and took Konohamaru and Sakura ahead with him to check the clearing. They were ideal spots for ambushes, and while it was unlikely, Naruto enjoyed being cautious. He felt like it was good practice for when he was Hokage. They broke through the trees and stopped to check their surroundings. It was… quite a clearing.

"wow." Was Konohamaru's only response.

"It's… Beautiful" remarked Sakura.

And Naruto just stared, completely taken aback.

Below them, the forest floor dropped off a steep ledge that descended hundreds of feet before sloping off to the valley floor below. The valley itself was a verdant green from end to end, and it stretched off as far as the eye could see to the northwest. To the southeast, it meandered for miles until it abruptly switched course, turning to the south and out of sight on its wayward course to the sea.

The valley was many miles across; it would take them the rest of the afternoon to get across it, even if they double timed as they had been doing. The valley was also dotted with small, pristine looking farming villages, with fishing villages closer to the wide, silt-colored river that wound its way through the valley. The buildings in those villages were in that old, quaint style with green tile roofs and whitewashed mud walls. They had a cozy quality about them that made one almost wish it would rain, just so they could go inside one and curl up by a fire.

And across the valley, there was the forest; it was a perfect compliment to the pristine picture before them. It was vast, almost as big as the forest of Fire country, but it was a different kind of forest. It seemed thicker and greener and more mysterious. In the distance, perhaps a day's shinobi-speed run through the forest, He could just barely make out the far reaches of the forest as it began to climb the slopes of the mountains that defined lightning country. All in all, it was breathtaking. Naruto silently promised himself then that, if he was ever lucky enough to get Sakura to marry him _and _actually managed to live to retirement age, a rare feat for a shinobi to be sure, that he would retire here, in this valley. Having to farm rice was a small price to pay for living amidst such scenery.

He had been staring for a good five minutes before Sakura had to wake him from his stupor. Sighing, she gave him a light tap upside the head. "Come on, baka, the team is going to start wondering what happened."

Naruto rubbed his head absentmindedly, miffed at having been awoken from his gawking session. Reluctantly, he turned back to go reunite with the rest of the squad, signaling for Konohamaru and Sakura to follow.

It was late evening when the group finally found itself at the edge of the forest. The journey would have taken several days for a civilian, but the shinobi, aside from being much faster, had the additional advantages of being able to simply walk down the cliff face and run across the river, though they had to be discreet about it. Naruto, in the interest of not attracting attention, had made them pick a fording spot far from any village, and they had had to go across one at a time. They decided to make camp there that night, at the edge of the forest, and head on to the Hidden Fern village the next day.

That night, he sat by a campfire, picking at his re-hydrated miso and rice. Considered the territory, he had almost ordered a cold camp, but Sakura had revealed a new Genjutsu she was working on, which kept light from escaping a marked area. Naruto was impressed, and frankly looking forward to a hot meal, even if it was dehydrated, so he had given the go-ahead to build a fire.

Sakura, having gotten her share of Miso and rice, noticing that her friend had distanced himself from the group and looked a bit lonely, plopped down next to him, giving him a soft smile.

"What's up, Baka-sama?"

Naruto half smiled. "Respect your elders and betters." he said simply.

Sakura smirked. "Good thing you're my elder, otherwise I might misconstrue that as you saying you're my better, and that's bull."

Naruto sighed. He wasn't in the mood for frivolous conversation, even with Sakura. "Yeah, Sakura-chan, it is."

But the wonderful thing about Sakura was that she could read his mood perfectly. And right now he looked disturbed.

"So like I said, what's up?"

He had been staring into the fire since she had walked over, but looked up to answer her. "Neh, just thinking."

"Really? Could have fooled me."

Naruto glared at her. She was doing that smartass thing again.

Sakura picked up the hint. "Gomen, gomen. What were you thinking about, Naruto-kun?"

"Eh, I was thinking about what Oba-chan was telling me. About the war."

"What about it?"

"Well, it sucks. I know that may sound stupid and obvious, but I can't think of a better way to say it. It's stupid, why the Shinobi nations want to fight each other. More power? More clients? More money? Is that worth the lives that are going to be sacrificed? The friends and families and lovers that are going to die violently? Why are they all so eager to do this?"

"It's the way the ninja have always been, Naruto-kun. They're fighters at heart, and if there isn't a fight going on they'll make one up. And hey, look at the bright side; this is your chance to prove how strong you are to the village."

Naruto frowned, looking up at the sky. "Well, I suppose I can't deny that the fighter in me is excited. But what's the point of proving your strength to a village that's been completely wiped out?"

"Ahh, so the future Hokage-Sama does have something more relevant to say than 'war sucks'. Come on, Naruto, tell me what's really bothering you. I won't tell."

Naruto took note of the lack of an honorific. It was one of her little hints that she was trying to be intimate and serious, and he took the bait like an anxious puppy. He needed to get this off his chest right now and he needed someone to tell him that he wasn't going to screw up, and it would sound better coming from Sakura than from anyone else.

"Sakura-chan… the truth is… I'm scared shitless. You know how much is riding on this mission?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I know what's up. The leaf is in a tight spot, and it needs allies. Right now, the only two non-aligned villages are the Forest and the Wave. If we don't impress them here, the survival of the Leaf is not guaranteed."

Naruto was impressed, as usual. She was smarter than she looked, and she looked like a freakin genius. "Impressive. You figure that out all by yourself?"

"More or less. Now tell me, what are you so scared about?"

Naruto sighed. "The future of the village is in my hands, Sakura-chan. And for the first time in my life, I don't think I can handle it."

Sakura was confused. "That's nothing new for you. You had the whole village's life in your hands when you fought Gaara-sama, and you did fine. And you saved me. Thanks, by the way."

Naruto smiled softly. "You're welcome, Sakura-chan, but that was different. I knew what I had to do there; I had to kick the crap out of Gaara till he stopped moving. It was simple enough. But I don't know what to do here; I've spent my whole life bulldozing my way through problems and hoping like hell that things fell back into place the right way, but I can't do that here. I don't have any tact, my language skills suck, and I make horrible first impressions. How the hell is sending me heregoing to get these guys to ally with the Hidden Leaf?"

Sakura sighed inwardly; she knew the face Naruto put on for the world. It was bright, it was optimistic, it radiated confidence, and to an extent, it wasn't a mask; that was just how he was. But years of abuse and betrayal had tempered that natural brightness, and inside he was never quite sure of himself or his abilities. It was a shame, because Sakura couldn't think of anyone more able than Naruto to handle any situation. He needed her comfort now, and she was going to give it to him.

But that didn't mean she wasn't going to tease him about it first.

"Yeah, you are a pretty big idiot."

For a split second, he looked completely crestfallen.

"But the truth is, none of that stuff matters anyway. You may not be eloquent, and you may make scenes, but it doesn't matter. You have something that makes up for all of that in spades; I don't even know what it is, but anyone that spends five minutes around you feels it. I'd call it charisma, but it's so much more than that; anyone who meets you begins to _believe _in you Naruto-kun. They believe in your strength and they believe in your dream because you're just so damn stubborn that it has to be true. You _will _secure the alliance from the Hidden Fern, because they'll be entranced that someone so brilliant and so stupid, so confident and so insecure can exist in one person. They'll be entranced, just like everyone else who knows you."

Naruto's grin nearly split his ears. If he could bottle the feeling he had right then and sell it on the streets, he'd be wealthy in a day.

She was right, of course. About everything. Including him being an idiot. It would be hard to get these people to ally with the Hidden Leaf; but certainly no harder than it had been bringing back Tsunade ba-chan. And no harder than it had been bringing Sasuke back. Now that he looked back on it, there had been so many people he had won over to his point of view; not that he knew how.

He had shown Zabuza that you couldn't kill your heart.

He had shown Gaara that it was those precious to you that made you truly strong.

He had shown Sasuke that he didn't have to be alone.

And he had shown Sai that connections mattered.

Compared to those cases, getting these scrubs to aid Konoha would be easy.

"_How does she do that to me? Completely change my outlook and my mood in five minutes flat?"_

"Thanks, Sakura-chan… I needed that."

Sakura grinned. That was the Naruto she knew. "Any time, baka. Nobody likes it when you're mopey, it doesn't fit you."

They fell into a comfortable silence then, both of them staring up at the stars. They were beautiful here, mostly because you could actually see them. The lights of Konoha kept them from being visible, except from the top of the Hokage monument, where Naruto often went to view them when he found he couldn't sleep.

After a while though, his mind turned back to the war. He couldn't help it; he loved the hidden leaf, and this was going to hurt it more deeply than anything had in his brief lifetime.

"You know, it still sucks though, the war."

"Heh, no shit? Try not to think about it. It won't get you anywhere."

"I can't, not when my own and my friends lives are at stake. I'll give my life for the Hidden Leaf if I have to, but I won't like it."

"Nobody does."

"When I'm Hokage, there aren't gonna be any pointless wars like this. I'll make sure there aren't."

Sakura frowned, before answering. "Neh, Naruto-kun, you can't change everything."

He smirked. "Says who?"

"Says me, and I should know, because I tried it once. When I first became a medic-nin, I promised myself that nobody would ever die under my care. I would be great. But it didn't happen. People died, a lot of them. And I blamed myself, I kept saying that if I had only been better, faster, more precise, that person would be alive. I beat myself up over it, I became an emotional wreck, and that affected my other work. Patients suffered because I couldn't keep myself together."

She had to pause for breath before continuing.

"If you go into the Hokage office thinking that you can change everything, then you're going to be a bad Kage, and that wouldn't suit you. I learned then that you have to do everything in your power to change the things you could, and have the strength to let go of the things you can't do a damn thing about. Otherwise, people are going to suffer while you chase shadows."

Shit. She had done it twice in under an hour. She had called him brilliant, she had called him an idiot, made him feel like the king of the world and brought him right back down to earth when he floated to high. He felt like telling her he loved her right there, and that he didn't give a damn what she thought about it.

But he didn't get the chance. Out of the darkness, Konohamaru appeared and sat down between them, oblivious to the intimate moment he had just shattered.

"Ohayo, Naruto-nichan! Sakura-chan!" Naruto cringed and Sakura gave out a soft laugh. It was time for her to leave; it would be way to awkward for the three of them to be there, and Konohamaru obviously couldn't recognize a situation that he needed to leave well enough alone.

Standing up, she gave Naruto a quick hug. "Goodnight, Naruto-kun. Later, Baka-chan." Konohamaru looked downright offended at the pet name.

Naruto sighed as he watched Sakura walk over to her tent.

"Konohamaru-chan?"

"Hai, ni-chan?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're the worst wingman ever?"

Konohamaru gave him a confused look. "Come again, ni-chan?"

"Nevermind, Konohamaru-chan."

* * *

_A day before:_

Tsunade was irked. No, scratch that, she was downright pissed. And she was thinking about putting bars on her window.

"_Seriously, why does every narcissistic, self important asshole think it's cool to come in through my window? Is that supposed to be a more Ninja-like entrance?"_

She contemplated this as she regarded the masked ANBU before her. She had been planning on calling him in today anyway, but recent news from another of her agents had totally changed the nature of the meeting. Originally, it had been an assignment. Now it was an interrogation.

She fingered the kunai holster bolted to the underside of her desk. Would he attack her if she confronted him directly? She thought she had him pretty much pegged, but he had a history of unpredictability, and recent information showed that that part of him had not been subdued.

She decided to start the conversation casually enough.

"How are you today, Sasuke-san?" She gave him a smile that she hoped was disarming.

But the Uchiha heir was naturally paranoid which, combined with the fact that he, unlike Naruto, was _excellent _at reading between the lines, made the gesture less than endearing.

He gave her a smoldering glare from behind his mask. "What do you want with me, Hokage-sama?" He wasn't one for formalities, and truth be told, neither was she, so she decided to get straight to the point.

"Several things, actually. So I suppose I'll start with this recent bit of troubling news; what are your intentions regarding Uchiha Itachi?"

Sasuke was surprised, but he tried not to show it. "To kill him." He stated simply.

"And what of the Hidden Leaf village?" she continued.

"You've been talking to Shino." It wasn't a question. He felt a little betrayed, but he supposed it could'nt be helped; an ANBU was supposed to put their job before their friends, and he had said a lot of things which, looking back, ought have concerned a loyal member of the Hidden Leaf.

"Yeah, I have, and I have to say; what the hell, Uchiha. What is this crap I heard from him? Are you going to leave the village again to pursue your stupid revenge? You actually have a few friends now, and you're going to disappoint them all over again?"

Sasuke was genuinely confused now. He had said nothing about betraying the Hidden Leaf, so where did she get that idea? "I don't understand what you're talking about Hok…"

He was cut off. "_I'm talking" _she began. "About this. And I quote:" She began to read Shino's report. "'_…and being a Shinobi of Konoha is the only way I can get my revenge against that bastard brother of mine…Why people think I would give up on that is beyond me…he then goes on to tell how Naruto convinced him to come back to the Hidden Leaf so he could get strong and could kill his brother…'" _She slammed her hand on the desk. "Damn it Uchiha! Are you using Konoha as a training ground for your silly revenge? Well?!"

Damn. He really hadn't meant it to sound like that. Then again, he'd had a few glasses of Shocu. Stupid tasty liquor. Getting him in trouble like this. Regardless, he had gotten himself into a mess, and he had to fix it before it cost him his position. He spoke then, in as apologetic a tone as he could muster.

"Ahh, Hokage-sama, that is not what I meant to say at all. All I meant was that I still plan on avenging myself against my brother someday. I did not mean it to sound as though I was planning on betraying the Hidden Leaf." There. That was a good apology, right?

The Hokage sighed. She had gotten angry, and she always went to far when she did that. She hated it. The kid looked genuinely apologetic and confused, but then again, he was a good actor. "Sasuke-san, what are your intentions towards Uchiha Itachi? Tell it to me straight, because I can't afford to have one of my best suffering from a conflict of interests."

His face hardened for a moment, and she could see it, for some time before he had taken off his mask. "I will kill Uchiha Itachi." He began quietly. "On orders from the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village. Until the time when you feel inclined to give those orders, I will be your loyal soldier."

She smiled for a moment; maybe the stupid blond had reformed him a little. But she frowned again when she remembered the second part of the report.

"And now, Sasuke-san, you will explain your other actions which Shino had reported. I'm not going to lie, it was brilliant ninja work, but it showed blatant disregard for the safety of the village and the men assigned to guard that prison. Well?"

Damn. He had revealed that after three glasses of Shocu. He had been a bit tipsy then, if he recalled correctly. He silently noted that drunk people tend to say things they shouldn't. Also, he noted that he would have to get Shino back for this.

_"I suppose putting a hypnotizing Genjutsu on him and making him jump in one of those drainage ditches would be suitable."_ He mused quietly to himself.

"Well? I'm waiting, Uchiha-san."

Crap. What would he tell her; at the moment, he couldn't think of a satisfactory excuse. She would be doubly pissed if he lied. So, he decided to tell the truth; at least it would put him in her good graces.

"I…have no good excuse, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage smiled. "As I suspected. Just as well, I was going to assign you this mission anyway, due to your unique status, but now I can assign it as your punishment as well."

" What kind of mission?"

"A diplomatic mission, Sasuke-san. You remember Wave Country, no?"

How could he forget. It was where he truly became a ninja, and one of the few times in his life he had felt truly close to death.

"Hai, Hokage-sama? What am I to do there."

"A few years ago, a new hidden village was born, the Hidden Wave Village, however the members of this village are a bit… unique."

"How so?" Sasuke asked.

"Every last one of them was a missing-nin before joining the Hidden Wave. Thus, they have refused to ally themselves with any villages that have extended a hand; at least a few of their members are from some of those villages, and they don't trust any of them. However, none are from Konoha."

"So what, because I was a missing-nin they'll connect with me? It's not like we have a secret handshake, Hokage-sama. Wouldn't this job be better suited to a councilmember?"

"We've tried sending diplomats; all of them were turned back by patrols before they even reached the gates. They don't trust officials."

"And you think they'll trust me?"

"I think they'll be more receptive to you, and I know of their leader; he knows he can't remain isolated in today's political climate. If you can talk with him, I'm sure you can convince him to join us."

Sasuke was curious about this leader. Maybe he knew him. "Who is he?"

"His name is Momochi Ittou." He started. He would recognize that clan name anywhere.

"Momochi? As in Momochi Zabuza?"

"He's his younger brother; he left the hidden mist shortly after he heard of his brother's fate, if the reports are to be believed."

"You are aware that I fought against Zabuza at his last battles; are you sure this guy won't kill me on sight?"

"Not entirely, but I suspect he's smart enough to know that Zabuza's death was entirely Gatou's fault. Besides, you're a good ninja, you can handle any kind of danger."

Tsunade smiled sadistically. This part would get a reaction out of the cold fish that was Uchiha Sasuke. "And now, for the clincher." Sasuke perked up. He didn't like the tone of her voice.

"I trust that as an ANBU, you know the situation the hidden leaf is in, Sasuke-san."

"Hai. If Konoha is attacked in it's current state, without additional support, it will most likely fall."

"Exactly. Which is why this mission is of the utmost importance to the security of the village. So much so, in fact, that if you fail, you shouldn't bother coming home."

Sasuke was shocked. Was she implying what he thought she was implying? "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying, that since you felt it was appropriate to put the security of the village in jeopardy in an admittedly brilliant ploy to get out of prison faster, I think it's only fitting that I make you put your job, and consequently your revenge, on the line in order to save that same village."

It was outrageous. It was unfair. It was diabolical. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it except go along with it and pray to god that he really hit it off with Momochi Ittou.

He fought to keep the venom out of his voice as he spoke his next question. "I'm not allowed out of the village without an ANBU escort. Have you prepared one."

Tsunade smiled wickedly. This part would really throw him. "I have. As a matter of fact, it's part of your punishment." She pushed the intercom button on her desk. "Shizu-chan, send in Sai-kun, please."

Sasuke's stomach dropped. Sai?!

"Sai?! He's the worst wingman ever!"

"Tsunade smirked. "Well, good thing you won't be barhopping. And besides, Sai's changed a lot since you saw him last. Though he's no less irritating, he has a tad more tact."

At that moment, Sai walked in, in all of his midriff bearing glory.

"Ahh, good day, homo-san! I look forward to working with you!"

Tsunade sighed. "You've been reading those books again, haven't you?"

* * *

It was early morning, and the sun was just coming up over the rim of the valley. It was beautiful, in Naruto's opinion. He wasn't normally an early riser, but he figured it was his job as the leader of the mission to be the first one up and the last one asleep. Behind him, the small camp by the woods began stirring with life. Reluctantly, Naruto began waking the members of his team, knowing that they would need to get going soon if they were to make it to the Hidden Fern that day. 

It took him a while to awaken everyone; Konohamaru especially was a difficult case.

"Neh, five more minutes, Naruto-nichan."

"Everyone else is up, Konohamaru-chan. We've already started making breakfast."

"So wake me up when it's done."

Naruto sighed. He hadn't wanted to do this. Quick as lightning, he formed four hand seals. **"suiton: water bullet no Jutsu"** he intoned, opening his mouth to eject a glob of water onto the still form beneath him. He had only channeled a little chakra into it, so it wouldn't break his face, just make him exceedingly uncomfortable.

Konohamaru sputtered, gasping for breath. The morning air was still chill, and the wet sleeping bag didn't help it.

_"Well son of a bitch, now I have to get out. Stupid Ni-chan."_

He sat by the campfire a few minutes later, trying to warm himself up. Naruto was there with Sakura, studying the maps for the mission. He was trying to plot the fastest course to the Hidden Fern. The other Ninja had been set to various tasks, from gathering and filtering water to scouting the forest ahead, leaving them alone in the camp.

Konohamaru looked up at Naruto. "Where's breakfast?" Naruto didn't look at him to answer. "It's over; you missed it."

"Neh, why didn't you save me some?!"

"Because if I did you wouldn't learn. Now be quiet."

Konohamaru, never one for following instructions or missing breakfast, opted to continue protesting. "Neh, why did you tell me breakfast was almost ready then?!"

Instead of answering, he began discreetly making hand seals. Sakura and Konohamaru both gave him confused looks, wondering what was up.

"Naruto?" she questioned.

"Get down." He stated simply. Both of them complied, diving down and to the side so as to be clear of whatever was about to happen, wondering what in the hell their captain was doing.

Naruto finished his seal sequence just as a dozen arrows shot through the trees towards the camp. **"Fuuton: Cyclone Barrier no Jutsu" **immediately, a powerful whirlwind encompassed the area in a few feet around him, scattering the arrows in all directions. Not missing a beat, he drew a strange looking pair of kunai, ones with ivory handles covered in strange seals that Sakura couldn't identify. and flung it in the direction from which the arrow barrage had come. Forming his favorite seal, he shouted **"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

Sakura and Konohamaru were stunned. They had been detected? More importantly, they had failed to detect the presence of these enemies? The shots had come from only two dozen or so yards away in the trees. The traps they had been set had been good ones; were these ninja good enough to completely bypass them?

Immediatley, two Kunai became nearly thirty, and they soared toward the area from which the arrows had come. Immediatley, a lone ninja leapt out of the way of the incoming barrage, landing just as the Kunai embedded themselves in the trees they had been perching in. The ninja, who looked even younger than Konohamaru, turned to face Naruto, speaking his congratulations.

"So the leaf nin _are _as good as they say. Impressive. How long had you known we were there?"

But Naruto wasn't there.

_"Kuso." _Shiro cursed to himself. He couldn't let them know he was surprised; where had the blond one gone? He was sure he had seen him standing there a second before. It wasn't a replacement technique, otherwise there would be some object standing where he had been; there was nothing.

His questions, both of them in fact, were answered a second later when Naruto leapt from the tree Shiro had previously occupied and landed behind him. Faster than the eye could see, he drew a Kunai and pressed it to Shiro's neck, causing him to drop his bow in surprise. "I smelled the two of you about an hour ago."

_"Shit, who is this guy? _Smelled _us?"_ It was official; not much scared Shiro, but this guy scared the piss out of him. He smirked anyway.

_"Good thing I have a contingency plan for these situations. Garoumaru?"_

_"Hai, Shiro-san. I've got it covered."_

Garoumaru leapt from the bushes then, aiming for Naruto's turned back.

But Sakura had seen the wolf summon, and could predict what was going to happen if Naruto was left to fend for himself.

"Damn it!" she cursed quietly. That wolf was moving fast. She would have to fix that. She grabbed a brace of Kunai, hurling them in the path of the wolf. It had the intended effect, causing him to slow for a second to avoid the incoming Kunai. It was all the time she needed as she dashed across the camp, leaping and delivering a powerful downward kick from the wolfs blind spot. It had it's intended effect, knocking the creature out and weakening it's link to this world, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

Naruto grinned. He didn't just love her because she was smart and beautiful; She was a damn good ninja. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

She smiled back at him, before turning to the young Shinobi he was restraining. "So, it would appear, from looking at your Hitai-ate, that you're from the Hidden Fern village. Is there a good reason as to why you attacked the people contracted to help you with your little bandit problem?"

Shiro grinned at her sheepishly. "Well, originally Garoumaru, that wolf you knocked out, smelt you, so I came to investigate. When I found out it was you guys, I decided to test you a little bit."

"By firing arrows at us?"

"They were aimed to miss all of you!"

"Somehow I don't find that comforting. What's your name, kid?"

The young ninja puffed up a bit, as though he were proud to recite his heritage. "Takazuka Shiro, of the Hidden Fern's ruling clan, the Takazuka clan."

Sakura snorted. The kid reminded her a bit of a sunnier version of Sasuke, but with stark white hair. "Well kid, I'm Haruno Sakura, and the guy who kicked your ass there is Uzumaki Naruto. Care to tell us what you're doing out here?"

The kid looked a bit embarrassed at the 'ass kicking' comment. "Well, if you're the team from leaf, I'm here to guide you to our village."

Naruto perked at this. "Great; that saves me a lot of trouble. And since you decided to attack us, you get to help Konohamaru break camp while I find my other men. Sakura-chan, make sure they behave, will you?"

Sakura smiled at him. "Hai, Naruto-kun."

An hour later, having broken camp and double checked their supplies, they made their way into the forest towards the hidden fern village.

* * *

Sasuke was thankful. Aside from having developed a keen sense of what nicknames would irritate people most, Sai had matured a lot since the last time he had seen him. They spent their journey towards wave country in relative silence, as they flew through the trees towards the south. 

On the second day from Konoha, they had reached the border of the Wave Country, and decided it was a good place to make camp. Sasuke retired early that night; travel tended to exhaust him. He was woken, however, in the middle of the night, by a twinge. It was a weird feeling, a feeling one gets after having slept too many nights in unsafe beds. It was like a sixth sense, that told him that all was not right. Grabbing his ANBU ninjaken, he exited the tent, preparing to meet whatever threat had awoken him.

Stepping outside, he saw two figures at the edge of the camp; they froze like deer in the headlights. They had not planned on getting caught.

From the amount of stuff that lay on the ground, he surmised that they had been rifling through his stuff; he hated it when people went through his stuff.

Slowly, they turned to face him. Their faces were obscured by masks, much like the kind Kakashi wore. Each one wore a massive gauntlet with sharpened claws on opposing hands, and each gauntlet had a long, protruding chain.

Sasuke almost dropped his Ninjaken in surprise.

"You!" he said, almost accusingly.

"You!" the two intruders said together, almost as surprised as he at the chance meeting.

"I thought you were dead!"

"We thought you were dead!" The talking together thing was getting annoying.

"The Demon Brothers?"

* * *

A/N: This chapter was shorter than I intended, but something came up and it was a good place to stop. I intend the ones from now on to be at least the length of chapter two. Also, I might not be able to update tomorrow, I'll be visiting a college campus all day. Though I might, since I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going with it. 

Sakura: am I getting her right? I wrote that scen because I needed to really get into her character, or I'd risk making her a background character, which isn't my intention. I'm trying to paint her as smart, strong, and practical, but with some unresolve emotional issues.Tell me what you think of her.

As for the "worst wingman ever thing", it's something I saw someone use to describe Sai once, and I just had to use it; it cracks me up just thinking about it. As for Sai and Konohamaru, I'm going to give their characters a little more serious development later, but right now they're comic relief. The Demon Brothers (who are some of the coolest looking characters Kishi has ever drawn), as far as I'm concerned, escaped Kakashi's bindings, learned about Zabuza's demise, and became freelance missing-nin. No "omgosh back from the dead" crap or anything.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed; it means a lot to know that people are into this. And double thanks to BigBlue05, who pointed out a few flaws in my sasuke/shino scene from last chapter, one of which I hope I resolved in this one.

Read, enjoy, and Review. Even small reviews are apreciated, shows that people aren't taking one look and going "OMG OC HELLZ NO".

Late.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: If Naruto was mine, Shikamaru would be the main character. I suppose then it would be called "Shikamaru", but that's neither here nor there.  
**

Chapter 4

Konohamaru regarded this new figure with a suspicious eye; what kind of asshole attacks the person sent to retrieve? But that wasn't really what pissed him off; Konohamaru had a strict "no harm, no foul" policy. What really pissed him off was how _good _the kid was. He could sneak into that camp undetected by everyone except Naruto, who had the unfair advantage of that nose of his, and execute a surprise attack that could have taken them all down before they even registered the swish of the arrow? It wasn't fair. He trained hard, and, in his own humble opinion, he was a damn good ninja for his age. He might even make Jounin before Naruto had.

But this kid made him look like a damn rube. And what's worse, he must have been younger than Konohamaru. He eyed the kid up and down. Shiro's name was well suited to him; he had hair that was white as a ghost, and Konohamaru briefly wondered how someone with hair like that could be any good at stalking, much less as good as Shiro was. Physically, he was about a head shorter than Konohamaru, and slighter, but it wouldn't have been fair to call him small. As Konohamaru got older, he grew more and more like his father and uncle; tall, with thick limbs and a chest that was ever increasing in girth.

And an outfit like that, Konohamaru had never seen before. It was vastly different from any shinobi uniform he had been exposed too. It was a dark green, and covered him from head to foot. Where most shinobi outfits were cut clean, this was rough; it was ripped in several places, as though it had been made that way, and it had several patches of differently shaded cloth sewed on in odd places. Oddly enough, Konohamaru noticed that this caused his outline to break up if he got too far ahead of him in the trees. His feet were booted in a similar material. The ensemble was topped off by a tattered cloak that hung down to his waist and bunched up around the top, obscuring his neck and chin. Strapped next to his shuriken holster was a quiver with roughly a dozen black-shafted arrows.

And he had a freaking tattoo? What the hell! Konohamaru was jealous; his dad would never let him get a tattoo, much less a cool one like that.

_"Hmmph. I won't let that kid show me up again. Not in front of Naruto-nichan."_

Naruto, who was completely ignorant of Konohamaru's internal strife, was astounded at the setting before him. He could see why the people of Forest Country refused to do any logging; the place was surreal in its beauty. It was altogether different from the forests of Konoha and the surrounding area. It had a completely different atmosphere and feel. The forests of Konoha had massive trees, with very little leaves outside of the canopy, which was so full that it shadowed the ground and made the undergrowth thin. It was pretty, but left very little to the imagination.

This forest, however, was completely different; it felt primeval. The trees were tall, but slightly spindlier than the ones around Konoha, and flushed out with new foliage all over, making them considerably more difficult to navigate. And there were the interspersed evergreens, which they had to be careful to avoid; nobody likes falling forty feet out of a tree and onto their ass. Additionally, scattered among the forest were massive, ancient oaks, with trunks as big around as a house and sturdy, gnarly branches. And, despite the thick canopy over the forest floor, light filtered down and fed immensely thick undergrowth. Moss covered ages old fallen logs, and ferns along with the occasional shrub grew up out of the loam to paint the forest floor a vibrant emerald green, dotted with occasional spots of color from wildflowers. A few times they crossed small, clear streams that rose up in the mountains and crossed through the forest on their way to the valley they had crossed the day before, and twice they had crossed smaller rivers that were too wide to leap over in the trees. The air there was thick and moist, which would have made it incredibly uncomfortable if the altitude and the proximity to the mountains hadn't helped to cool it some. Occasionally, when he rose up over the canopy, he could see the forest rising up into the mists as it climbed towards the mountains.

It was now mid morning, and they had been keeping a good pace since dawn, when they had left their encampment. Most of the trip had been silent, Shiro's mind set on navigating the forest, and the others either enthralled with their surroundings or busy fuming silently at Shiro. But out of the blue, as he had no real train of thought watching the hypnotizing forest fly by, a thought struck him; he spoke.

"Neh, Shiro-kun."

"Hai, Naruto-san?"

"How the hell did you shoot _a dozen _arrows at us? Can your wolf shoot too?"

"Iie, he's not that useful. It's a hidden technique of the Fern Village. I'm the youngest person ever to learn it."

Konohamaru scowled at this. _"Stupid braggart."_

"Interesting. So are you going to tell me what it does? Is it like the Shuriken Kage Bunshin?"

Shiro grimaced. Well, he pretty much had it, but he didn't need to know that. "Shinobi don't reveal their villages secrets."

Naruto pouted a bit. "Awww, come ooon. Just tell me."

"Only if you tell me how you traveled two dozen yards as fast as you did."

Naruto, catching his point, decided to change subjects. "So, where are you taking us? If my guess is right, we're going to miss the village if we keep going northeast like this."

"Neh, we're heading to a small village a bit north of the village. From there we'll head onto hidden fern, though it shouldn't be much farther."

Naruto was content. This country was beautiful, and it somewhat made him want to see the forest villages Tsunade had described. They must be amazing.

Abruptly, Shiro stopped, signaling for the others to do so as well. Then, his eyes did something amazing. His amber iris expanded, and changed color to a burnished gold, while his pupil expanded to fill the spot once occupied by his iris. Konohamaru seemed to be the only one to notice this. He seemed to concentrate intently on the sky a great distance ahead of them.

"_Great. Does this kid have a Kekkai-genkai too?" _

Sakura was confused. "What's the matter, Shiro-kun?"

But Naruto knew exactly what was going on. He had smelt it. He smelt blood and burnt wood and death. "Can you see it, Shiro-kun?" He asked, suspecting that this disturbance must be why the younger shinobi had stopped.

He didn't stop staring into space. "Yes, I can see smoke. It's coming from the village we were supposed to meet my team at, about twenty kilometers in front of us. Let's go, double-time." Wordlessly, the twelve ninja following him complied. It would take them an hour yet to get there, if they didn't stop.

They made it there in forty five minutes. People can do amazing things when the situation calls for it, doubly so with ninja training.

The scene that greeted them was horrifying. _"So this is what these bandits are doing to these people." _thought Konohamaru.

It was a massacre. Naruto could tell that the village had been beautiful; it was quaint and traditional, but it melded in with its natural surroundings, creating an incredible aesthetic. The paths of the village wound around ancient oaks, and the huts, with their green tile or thatched roofs, seemed a part of the surrounding plant life. A few of the houses had annexes built into the older trees, and in the middle of the village was a great tree that shaded a green lawn.

But all of that was gone now. There were bodies in the pristine streets, and several of the houses were set alight. The bodies were of every age and gender; nobody had been spared. One house had a pool of blood slowly trickling out the front door; Naruto didn't want to know what he'd find if he ventured inside. Notably, there were many small marks consistent with kunai and shuriken in the walls of the houses. Shinobi had attacked this village.

Shiro began checking the bodies. A few of them had deep, long gashes, the kind caused by a ninja ken. Many of the wounds had been caused by kunai and shuriken, but the attackers had had the forethought to remove them; that is, until he found the body of one man fallen behind a house. He was bristling with the ninja weapons.

Shiro snorted. This raid wasn't just brutal, it was sloppy. And if there was anything he hated on the part of shinobi, even his enemies, it was sloppiness. There was just no excuse for it.

He felt just a little vindicated, however, when he saw a half dozen bandits, killed in their tracks by what appeared to be arrow fire. His team hadn't gone down without a fight. Looking around, he found other bandit bodies as well. Some were pierced with arrows, while others appeared to have been poisoned, and at least one looked like an arrow had exploded in his chest cavity. It filled Shiro with pride. The Hidden Fern was the best, and they didn't go down without making their enemy pay dearly.

_"I will finish what they started."_

Just then, Konohamaru piped up. "Naruto-nichan, Sakura-chan, I've found one! And he's alive!" Shiro cringed. Didn't that idiot know not to yell? The enemy could still be in the area. He sighed, deciding to go check out what the idiot felt warranted yelling about.

Sakura got there first. Good thing, too, because her skills were needed. It looked like another Shinobi of the hidden fern, maybe one of Shiro's team, and he was in bad shape. His right leg was broken in several places, and gashes covered his body.

She went immediately to him. "Ohayo, my name is Haruno Sakura, I'm from the Hidden Leaf, I'm not an enemy, I'm a medic-nin, I'm here to help you, and if you complain, I won't feel bad about knocking you out." It was a line she had perfected years ago to dispense with introductions in the field without wasting her valuable time as a medic-nin. It worked, too, as the Shinobi made no move to stop her as she began her work.

"Kuso!" she could see his leg was broken. Sakura hated broken legs. They seemed innocent enough. They may be painful and troublesome, but not life threatening, since the leg wasn't a vital. But then the femoral artery had to come in and screw everything up. Sakura had seen too many cases in the field where someone got an innocent enough broken leg, only to die minutes later from a severed femoral artery; which was why she had created this particular diagnostic jutsu.

She performed the several, complex hand seals required for it in a few seconds. She finished, pressing her palms gently into his thigh and closed her eyes. This particular jutsu allowed her to, in her minds eye, see the interior of his body, from the flow of his blood to the state of his bones and chakra; it was miraculous, and had taken her years to develop, and it was why she was called a brilliant medic-nin. Of course, since it required that the user sit still and close their eyes, and it required direct contact with the patient, and it took good control and a decent supply of chakra, it was pretty useless in combat. But for the medic-nin of Konoha, it was fast becoming a must-have jutsu.

She looked into his body; His internal organs seemed fine. He had some major bruising pretty much… everywhere, but that wasn't fatal. There was a deep puncture wound near one of his kidneys. He was lucky; another inch to the right and he'd be dead. She moved down to look at his leg, and let out her breath as she saw that his femoral artery was intact. So his life wasn't in danger. She winced, though, when she looked at his leg. Even with her medic skills, he wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. She could set up the broken bone, but it would be brittle and weak. His cuts, however, she was in a better position to do something about.

She dug around in her pouch kunai pouch, stopping when she found what she was looking for; resetting bones broken to this degree often involved a large amount of pain for the patient, which was why Sakura had developed this oral anesthetic. It was specially made for field work, allowing her to quickly perform painful operations and get the shinobi back in action in five minutes. Partly, it was out of pity for the patients, but it was mostly because she couldn't stand whining while she was trying to work. It threw off her concentration and it was just plain annoying.

"Take this." she ordered him. The shinobi looked incredulously at her. It was standard shinobi practice and probably good advice in general, never to swallow anything a strange ninja had given him. But he remembered her introduction, and figured that, if she wanted too, she would kill him one way or another, so he did as ordered. Almost immediately, his whole body went numb, and his head became light. He chuckled a little, though at what he didn't know. Oh yeah, his head. It felt empty.

_"Hmmm, this girl's kinda cute." _He drunkenly reached up to touch the bulge in her vest where he estimated her chest was.

Sakura sighed, slapping his hand away. The anesthetic helped, but it was far from perfect, especially when used on lecherous male patients (read: all male patients.). One day, she was going to have to invent a non-narcotic anesthetic. Good thing it was as strong as it was; he wouldn't be able to move in another fifteen seconds. Once he was completely gone (but amazingly enough still conscious. It was a damn good concoction.), she began her work. She started with the most critical part, the bones. She could set them and partially re-fuse them, but any amount of stress would cause them to snap again.

Meanwhile, Naruto, who had arrived shortly after her, was downright offended. He was about to say something, when Shiro walked up having finished his investigation of the bodies, he had come to check on his teammate.

He quirked an eye at his injured comrade. Immensely entertained at the scene before him, from the drunken look of bliss on his teammates face to the one of cold fury on Naruto's, he spoke.

"You know, he's a closet pervert, but normally he's not this forward." Naruto was about to give him a cold glare, but he spoke again, much more serious. "So what's wrong with him? I suppose he's in no condition to answer questions? I had two more teammates, but nobody is able to find them."

Sakura finished up, having healed all of his gashes and wounds and done what she could for his broken bones in short order, like the professional she was, before answering. "It's a very short acting anesthetic; he should be himself again in a few minutes." She turned to her patient, expecting that the anesthetic was beginning to weaken about now. "As for you, don't move."

He could barely understand, but she was cute and he didn't feel much like moving anyway. He was sure that if he tried to stand he would fall off the face of the world.

Naruto, extremely uncomfortable at this point, decided to redirect the conversation. "So what now? Do we try and track these guys down or do we go straight on to Hidden Fern?"

"That" Shiro began slowly. "Depends entirely upon what my companion here has to say. It would be helpful however, to try and discern what direction the attackers ran off in while he's…recuperating."

Naruto complied with the implicit instruction. "Izumo, Kotetsu." The pair of Tokubetsu-Jounin, hearing their captain's call, complied.

"Hai, Naruto-san?"

"As you may have guessed, it looks like ninja did this. See if you can pick up the beginning of their trail, and report back to me. Don't go too far from the village; we don't want to get separated."

"Hai!" and they were off. Kotetsu smiled as he performed his assigned task. It seemed like yesterday he was watching this short little loudmouth get the crap beaten out of him in the Chuunin exams; If you had told him then that he would be taking orders from that brat in eight years, he would have laughed at you. Who knew the loud little stamina freak would mature into such a phenomenal shinobi?

Slowly, Shiro's teammate began to come out of his drug induced stupor. Unfortunately, one of the effects of the short lasting nature of the anesthetic was that one could remember quite clearly what they had done while under its influence. Being more or less, back to normal, his blood flowed to his face as he looked up at the medic-nin that had been attending to him. Sakura saw this, and took it as a sign that the drug had worn off.

"Well, it looks like you're back. And don't worry about it; you weren't yourself."

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He _did _think she was pretty, even when sober. He blushed deeper, a feat Shiro marveled at; he was already beet red. He sighed though, remembering what had happened here; he needed to find his other two teammates, and he needed to avenge these villages.

"Hiro-san."

His subordinate turned to him, apparently startled, and a slight look of shame on his face at having performed his drunken antics in front of his team leader.

"H-hai, Shiro-sama?"

"What happened here? Where are our comrades?"

A pained look entered Hiro's eyes. "It was the bandits, Shiro-sama. We tried to fight, but we were taken by surprise and there were so many of them. This has to be the largest raid I've heard of, Shiro-sama. We were waiting at the central lawn when they busted into the town. We took down a few of them as they came into the village, but there were so god damn many!" His voice held the pain of failure, but he choked it down as he continued. "They took Hikaru and Shigeru, I didn't see what direction. I was out by then. I guess they thought I was dead from that wound in my side."

Shiro frowned, looking into space for inspiration. So it was back to square one. The village had been destroyed and he had no idea how he was going to avenge these innocent people.

But it was his lucky day. Just then, Izumo and Kotetsu came back from their patrol. Kotetsu spoke first.

"Naruto-san, we have found many disturbances around the southeast of the village. Disturbed dirt and snapped twigs, and clear signs that someone attempted to cover it up. We believe that is where the enemy came into the village, and where they left it."

Shiro barely waited for them to finish their report before bolting. Naruto gave orders to the rest of the ninja, hoping to catch up to him and at least be able to support him if he did something stupid. "Kotetsu-kun, take the injured Fern-nin. Trade off with Konohamaru if you get tired, we need to keep up with Shiro-kun. Everyone else, let's move." With that, they leapt into the canopy and after Shiro, speeding through the forest towards the east.

* * *

Sasuke just stared. 

_"Those guys?"_

Truth be told, it shouldn't have been such a memorable fight, except that it was his first real battle as a shinobi. And if he recalled correctly, they hadn't been very good ninja. Well, that wasn't a very fair assessment. He was, after all, great. On second thought, they had been alright for Chuunin. It's just that Sasuke was better.

But that didn't matter now; what mattered was that they were going through his stuff. His. Stuff. As part of the paranoid aspect of his personality, he really hated it when people went through stuff he considered private. He decided to start the interrogation simply.

"What are you doing here?"

The brothers looked awkwardly at one another. Even though they did have a good reason for checking out the camp, they couldn't say that about their reason for rifling through Sasuke's possessions. Gozu, the elder of the two brothers, spoke carefully. "We're an advanced patrol, From the Hidden Wave village. We…"

Sasuke cut him off. "We're still in Fire Country. You are aware, I trust?"

Gozu looked annoyed. He didn't like being interrupted. "Yeah, that's why I said we're an _advanced _patrol. Anyway…" Meizu continued for him.

"We detected your camp on our patrol, on _our _side of the border, I might add, and decided to investigate. So we, um, were checking your stuff to see if you were enemy ninja."

Sasuke twitched. "My Hitai-ate was by the fire. There was absolutely no good reason to go through my crap. And… is that my wallet in your hand?"

Meizu blanched. "…Would you believe me if I told you I was checking I.D.?"

"No."

He looked crestfallen.

Sasuke just sighed inwardly.

_"Why me?"_

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind. They were Wave shinobi. That was good. Tsunade had mentioned that, oddly enough, the Hidden Wave village was, in fact, hidden. It was a part of the paranoia that naturally existed in a community of missing nin. The shinobi had built a special village somewhere in the country where clients could arrange contracts, but the shinobi lived, trained, and operated from a village in an undisclosed location. These people would greatly aid Sasuke's attempts to find the leader of the Hidden Wave.

In short, he couldn't kill them.

"Ok, it's your lucky day, because I need you guys for something."

The Demon Brothers gave him a questioning glance. Meizu spoke first, a bit of hesitancy in his voice. "…What?"

"Good question. I'm part of an alliance delegation from the Hidden Leaf. Well, really, I _am _an alliance delegation from the Hidden Leaf. My body guard is here for… other reasons."

"Hey, didn't you abandon your village?"

"…Yes, but that's neither here nor there. You will lead me to the Hidden Wave, and I will speak to your leader about forming an alliance between our two villages."

The Demon Brothers looked skeptically at each other. This time, Gozu answered. "Well you see, if that's the case… we're going to have to ask you to turn back. Momochi-sama doesn't want to see diplomats."

"Well then, Momochi-_sama _is an idiot."

The Demon Brothers looked offended. "Hah! What do you know? He'd kick your ass any day!"

"Well, I know that war is on the horizon, and I know that the other powers would love to pick off a small, unaligned village. If you don't join Suna and Konoha, the Hidden Wave will fall, and others might fall because of your stubborn refusal to open up to a helping hand. You have a larger world to think about than yourselves."

"Bullshit! We'll defend Wave Country from all comers. If they attack us en masse, we will lure them into the mist and slaughter them! What do we care if the Leaf and Sand fall? It's not our problem. Now we'll tell you once more, get the hell out of our sight! We're not going to _tell _you again. If you don't do as we command, it will be our duty as Jounin of the Wave to make you."

_"Well, damn. It appears we've reached an impasse." _Sasuke tightened his grip on his Kusanagi ninja ken, falling into a swordsman's stance. He reminded himself that if he saw Orochimaru in the next life, he'd have to remember to thank him for the gift; there was none finer.

"Come." He said, activating his Sharingan and motioning for the demon brothers to comply. Enthusiastically, they did so.

Sai, who had managed to pick up most of the conversation from within his tent, fell back against his pillow. Sasuke would handle it.

* * *

Naruto's team was starting to tire; they had been following Shiro at top speed through the woods to the northeast for nearly an hour. While it had started out to the southeast, like any good ninja trail, it wasn't straight. It twisted and writhed, trying to throw off its pursuers, but the Hidden Fern, to say nothing of Naruto, were good trackers, and among them there was none better than Takazuka Shiro. Konohamaru had had to trade the wounded Hiro with Toketsu, a fact he was not happy about. The kid was freaking heavy. 

"Neh, Naruto-nichan, when the hell are we going to get there? This kid eats too much Dango."

Naruto smirked. "How the hell should I know, kid? I'm just following Shiro. He _seems _to know where he's going." It vaguely occurred to Naruto that the team leader ought to have a plan more developed than "Follow the guy who seems to know where he's going", but his train of thought was interrupted as Shiro stopped. Everyone followed suit, holding their breath as Shiro surveyed the area ahead of them.

As usual, Naruto knew what Shiro had stopped about, but everyone else was in the dark. Naruto smelled the smells familiar to a bandit camp; un-bathed bodies and cooking fires. The question was, how could Shiro know that? Did he have a heightened sense of smell? Was he a Jinchuriki as well?

His question was answered when Shiro turned to face the group. His eyes were… strange. The iris had expanded to encompass the entirety of the whites, and was a rich gold color, and the pupils were huge. "There is a bandit camp up ahead. Be quiet while I count them, will you?". He turned around again, presumably to count the Shinobi in the otherwise unseen camp.

Naruto stared. "Is that a Kekkai-genkai?". He whispered. The answer came not from Shiro, but from Hiro, who had remained quiet until now.

"Yes, that is the 'Takametsuki', the Kekkai-genkai of the Takazuka clan."

Sakura blinked, surprised. "What's it do?"

"Shut up!" Shiro was getting annoyed.

Cautiously, Hiro motioned for the shinobi to come closer, whispering as they did so." Well, It's a bit difficult to explain." He paused, trying to find the words to express it. "In your village, they have the Sharingan, and the Byakugan, correct?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, it's like a combination of those two, but entirely different at the same time. Like the Sharingan, it grants the user incredible power of vision. But while the Sharingan can track high speed motion, the Takametsuki instead has an incredible power to differentiate objects, even at long ranges and in bad light."

Sakura was, needless to say, a bit confused. "So it's just like… having really good vision?"

"Yes, but it's more than that. Now, I said it was something like the Byakugan. Well, you are aware of the Byakugan's ability to see a great distance? The Takametsuki is able to do much the same thing, but in a different way. It's difficult to explain… to my understanding, the Byakugan can zoom in on objects a great distance away, no? The Takametsuki has no such power. Instead, the user simply has highly enhanced sight that allows them to better understand far away things; they don't see them any differently than you or I, but they see them with vastly greater clarity. The classic example states that the user can count the number of leaves on a tree from hundreds of meters away, even through dense brush."

Sakura was beginning to understand. "So… he can differentiate objects… meaning that he can pick out individual things among a mess of similarly shaped and colored objects. Not only that, but he can see over a great distance with much greater clarity than average humans, like a hawk."

At this point, Naruto caught on as well. "So in other words, no amount of physical camouflage can fool it, and it can see targets over a great distance?"

"Exactly. In addition to that, it has the power to penetrate some physical barriers that diffuse light, like smoke, fog, or mist."

Konohamaru was under whelmed. "Neh, doesn't sound that great. Just sounds like an inferior version of the Byakugan and Sharingan to me."

Hiro glared at the less than subtle insult. "On its own, that's exactly what it is. But when combined with the bow skills of our village…"

"It becomes a powerful tool." Sakura finished for him.

"Exactly." This time, it was Shiro who answered her. His face looked grim; he was itching to avenge the slaughtered village, and this long-winded explanation of his bloodline trait was keeping him from that. He spoke then.

"I count thirty four. I couldn't see where they were keeping my comrades, but there were a lot of tents in the center of the camp. They could be in one of those. Now, I should have thought of this before, but someone needs to take Hiro-san back to Hidden Fern; he'll only be in danger with his leg here." He looked at Naruto, who took the hint. He looked over his ninja; thirty four was something they could handle no problem; hell, it was something that, with a little backup, he could handle no problem. But the real question was about casualties. Aside from himself and Sakura, most of the Shinobi gathered were Chuunin or Tokubetsu-Jounin level. He didn't know the strength of the enemy, but he estimated that there must be a few upper-Chuunin or Jounin level shinobi among them, and their leader would doubtless be a Jounin. He had to make a decision, here and now; would he protect himself from ambush and go in with his whole squad, or protect his squad and go in with only his strongest supporters?

But Naruto was never one to put his own safety before that of others. His mind was made up almost as soon as there was a conflict; he would go in with Sakura, Konohamaru, and Izumo, and support Shiro in his assault. He was mildly worried about what the enemy shinobi might be able to pull on him, but not as much as he was about the safety of his squad; unbeknownst to him, that was a large part of the reason that Tsunade had put him in charge.

"Izumo-kun, Konohamaru-chan, Sakura-chan, you stay with me. We're gonna support Shiro-kun in his assault on this camp. The rest of you, take turns carrying Hiro-kun back to Hidden Fern. He'll tell you the way, don't worry about directions. Now, go!"

"Hai!" and his ninja were off, soaring through the trees towards the direction of Hidden Fern, as indicated by Hiro.

He turned to regard Shiro. "Now, Shiro-kun, how are we gonna do this?"

Shiro sat back on his branch, reflecting on this a moment.

"Well, I plan to kick their asses."

Twitch. It was a universal reaction. "No shit?" Konohamaru offered.

Shiro glared. Nobody ever appreciated his attempts to relieve the tension. _"Ok, plan time."_. He hated to admit it, but Naruto was hands down the strongest shinobi there. The pink haired woman wasn't bad either. The loud kid with the black hair was loud, and to the best of his knowledge completely lacking of any kind of talent. Then again, if Naruto had included him, he must be good at something, right? He regarded Izumo.

"You." He said, gesturing to the older shinobi. "Are you any good in melee combat?"

"Yeah, I'd say so I 'spose."

"Okay, good enough for me. Here's the plan. Listen up good, I don't like repeating myself." He began making the familiar hand seals for the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, and, pumping a little more chakra into them than he normally, did, bit his thumb and pressed down on the branch of the great oak on which they'd been perching. A cloud of smoke appeared, and when it cleared four wolves, Garoumaru the largest, stood before them. He spoke.

"Hai, Shiro-san?"

"Form a patrol around this camp. If anyone but the people here my two teammates, whom you are familiar with, attempt to leave, kill them."

The wolf pack let out a chorus of barks, making their compliance known, before leaping to the ground and running off into the undergrowth.

"That handles the stragglers. Now, for our parts."

He nodded at Naruto. "You're the strongest here; I want you to seek out their leader, and take him down. If you can do that, the rest will be a lot easier for me to deal with." He gestured to Izumo. "You and I will take down the bulk of the camp. We'll cover each other; I'll keep you from getting swarmed, if you keep me from getting engaged in close combat. I'm…not so good at it."

Izumo nodded. "fair enough."

He then looked at Sakura and Konohamaru. "You two, I charge with finding my companions and making sure their safe. Sakura-san, you will tend to their wounds while…what's your name?"

"Konohamaru!" He wasn't pleased at the lack of respect.

"Ahh. Konohamaru-san, you will cover her while she tends to them. When she secures them… I guess you can go do whatever the hell you want. She can handle herself, from what I've seen."

He looked around. Everyone knew their tasks, now it was just a matter of carrying them out.

"Ok, any questions?" The gathered ninja were still. Ok, so that's a no.

"Alright. Oh, positioning, um…" He gave it a few seconds thought. From what he could remember, there was a greater concentration of enemies at the south of the camp. But if the leader was there, how would Naruto sort him out from the others? Well, that was his problem.

"Ok, Izumo and I will enter first, through the south of the camp. Naruto, you'll have to sort their leader out quickly. When we've got the whole camp occupied, Sakura and Konohamaru will go in and get my companions. NOW does anyone have any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads, eager to begin.

Leaping from their perch in the old oak, they began to move into position. Izumo and Shiro managed to sneak to the south of the camp easily. Once there, Shiro surveyed the scene; no wonder it had been so easy, many of them were still licking their wounds from the village assault.

_"Good, that'll make this easier." _He knocked an arrow, and nodded at Izumo. They would attack soon. Briefly, he checked the area where Naruto was supposed to be hiding. Activating his bloodline limit, he checked the trees around the eastern edge of the camp, and spotted the smallest inkling of blond hair. He snorted. And people said _his _hair was blaringly obvious. He checked the south; pink. Once again, with the stand out hair. Was that natural?

So everyone was in position; that was good. He decided to pick out his first target. Who was really just begging to die? Ahh, that guy. The one drinking sake and telling some story about his exploits at the village. Shiro attached his claw and drew back the bow.

Down below, his comrades were laughing. Toshihiko had always been good for a laugh, and today was no exception. They stopped, however, when he jerked forward, and an arrow seemed to bloom from his forehead. What the hell? Was that one of his weird jokes? Some kind of Genjutsu? If it was, it was a bad one. They were scared shitless. But their thoughts ended abruptly, as two more arrows flew from the trees, ending their lives in a flash.

At this point, the rest of the camp realized what was going on.

"Archer! To the south!" The scream roused the camp to action. Immediately, the shinobi bandits gathered up their assorted weapons and clothes and scrambled to form themselves into squads, as a barrage of arrows took down another two shinobi. Immediately, the rest took cover. Out of a tent in the middle of the camp, a tall, older shinobi stepped. His hair was gray, and he was wearing a white gi, with a fishnet shirt underneath. In his hands, he carried a mean looking kusarigama. He looked in the direction of the destruction, the displeasure clear on his face.

"What the hell is this? Some assholes destroyin' the camp? Go kill im' ya stupid shits." He seemed more than a tad drunk to Shiro. He then realized that he wouldn't get a better opportunity than this. He knocked his arrow and drew back, aiming for the man's heart. He released.

Captain Ichigo grinned. This was perfect. The stupid little brat had fallen for his plan. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the weighted end of the kusarigama flying, deflecting the arrow perfectly. "The little shit's over there, boys. Your captain's done his job, now go kill im'!" Immediately, his Shinobi complied, and a score of Ninja rushed around to flank the bowman.

"Kuso.". He should have known the guy in charge wouldn't be that easy. Oh well, it was Naruto's problem now. He had the score of shinobi rushing him from the sides to worry about. Speaking of which…

Three of the enemy shinobi rushed out of the brush behind him. They were close; he would only be able to take out one of them before the other two were upon him. But then, they stopped. Their feet were completely stuck to the surface of the ground. It was covered by a thin film of syrupy water. Was this Izumo's jutsu? His question was answered a moment later when Kunai sunk themselves into the guts of the three ninja. Shiro smiled. So that old guy _was _good for something.

Back in the main camp, captain Ichigo frowned. He hadn't known that the archer would have cover. But he would take care of that. He moved to engage Izumo, motioning for his four guards to follow.

They were stopped though, when one of them fell to the ground, a kunai sticking out of his throat.

"Heh, sorry buddy, but you're my problem." Naruto stood, at the edge of the clearing, twirling a pair of his odd Kunai on his fingers. Captain Ichigo grinned. "So, we've got a self styled hardass, have we?" He turned to face him squarely. "Just a whelp, but looks like you fancy yourself somethin' special. Hmph. Show you." Immediately, the four ninja moved to surround him. But then, they did something…unexpected.

They made Kage Bunshins. A _lot _of them.

"Hey! That's my trick!"

"Pshh, we were doing this before you were born, kid."

Each of the guards only made about five, but the leader made around twice that many. All told, Naruto now found himself facing twenty nine opponents. Oh well. He could do that trick, and a hell of a lot better. Naruto formed his favorite seal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" **Immediately, the area was filled with twenty nine Narutos. He liked to make it fair when he could.

"Kay Assholes, how do you like that one?!"

The enemy ninja just smirked. And then, every Kage Bunshin pulled out its respective Kusarigama.

"_Son of a bitch." _

Immediately, the area began to fill with smoke as clones were slaughtered left and right. Apparently, these guys had mastered the technique of coordinating their Kusarigama strikes; one would attack with his full reach, creating long, swooping arcs, while a second hung back, ready to defend him from anyone who ducked inside his reach. That, combined with the fact that they used some kind of jutsu that made the chains razor sharp, meant that the area became a mess of whirling, cutting steel.

"_Shit, I gotta get away from this." _Quickly, Naruto leapt in the air, just as a Kusarigama came around to strike him. Using a trick he perfected against Gaara, he formed a clone in midair, using his back to jump up again and gain even more height. Once up in the air, he began forming hand seals; he had to work fast, this one was kind of a long sequence. Finishing on bird, he took in a deep breath, holding it a second before exhaling. **"Fuuton: Cyclone Wind No Jutsu!" **From his mouth blew a hurricane force wind. Any Kusarigama in midair were ripped from their owner's grasp, occasionally blowing over to take out a clone. One of the guards, a real one, took a sickle end to the chest. By the time Naruto landed, he was out of breath, but all the clones and one guard was dead, and the remaining guards had been knocked off their feet. Impressive as it was, he couldn't pull off that jutsu again; he'd have to take them out before they could make another clone army.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Konohamaru were having their own problems. Though they had successfully infiltrated the camp, and even found the tent where the prisoners were kept, it wasn't unguarded; there were four guards there. What level, they had no idea. Sakura sighed. It looked like they had no choice but direct confrontation. Oh well. She would take care of this. "Neh, Konohamaru-chan, I'll take care of things here. You go help Shiro-kun, I think he'll need it." Konohamaru looked incredulously at her.

"Neh, are you sure?" he looked at their enemies guarding the tent. "There's four of them, and you're just a girl."

Sakura twitched. "One, I'm a woman, not a girl, and two, if you don't get out of my sight right now I'm going to make you the _last _Sarutobi, if you catch my drift."

Apparently, he did. He was off like a shot then, heading around to outflank the ninja trying to flank Shiro.

Sakura then turned her attention to her targets; her Genjutsu skills had allowed her to get close, incredibly so. They were only a few yards away and hardly noticed her.

"_If I can get them down to two it'll be cake." _She drew a brace of Kunai, and threw them at the enemy. If she had wanted, she could have come up with a more graceful plan, but this one was simple and effective and she really didn't want to waste her time with it. One found its mark; the shinobi on the rear right of the tent fell almost immediately. His companions, however, had much better reaction times, and were able to dodge the kunai before they struck any vitals. They were still shocked, however, that they had been taken so completely by surprise by one _female _ninja. The female part really hurt their egos. They drew their weapons, and the look in their eyes said they were out for blood.

Sakura leapt from her position and charged; she had to end this quickly and help the ninja inside that tent. She really didn't have time to fool around with these guys. She just needed one opening; one opening and this fight would be over. And like the idiots these guys were, they gave it to her almost immediately. One of the shinobi, underestimating her, made a leaping attack, his ninja ken out in front for a crosswise slash. It was a simple thing to counter. Sakura ducked under him, and brought her left leg up for a roundhouse kick that came down on his midsection and drove him into the earth. She had charged that kick with the immense strength her teacher had taught her to use, and he wouldn't be getting up again.

Her two opponents gawked a moment, shocked that such a delicate looking creature could have such _immense _power. The pause was all she needed. Sakura flew through the seals she needed to complete the Jutsu, and disappeared momentarily. Once again, her opponents were shocked. This couldn't be good. And they were right. A few seconds later, they found themselves bound in the roots and limbs of a small tree that had apparently grown out of nowhere. And out of the middle of that tree, as if one of its limbs, grew Sakura. She wasted no time burying a pair of kunai in their necks.

Her enemies defeated, Sakura took a deep breath as she walked into the tent to inspect her patients. "Well, that was easy."

Back at the main camp, Naruto dodged a wave of shuriken as he considered his plan of attack. He had taken care of the guards; one with a three clone Uzumaki Naruto Combo, and the other with a well aimed kunai. But the main guy was still a problem. Apparently, he had more than enough stamina to continue creating clones, and Naruto couldn't destroy them the way he had the last batch. He couldn't get close to them either, or that Kusarigama technique would rip him to shreds.

"_Damnit, if I could just get close enough to slap a seal on this asshole, I'd be golden…" _

There were about twenty clones, and one original, and he couldn't tell which was which, otherwise he might have tried to tag him. He didn't have enough of his special kunai left to litter the field with them, either. He noticed then that his enemy was backed up against a curious outcropping of rock in the middle of the camp. If he dodged, he would have to dodge to the side. Maybe… well, it was all the hope he had. He took out his remaining kunai; five, all told, and made to throw them at his enemy. Of course, they were easily deflected to the side, but that was the result he was looking for.

He bit his thumb, making seals quickly as he did. The longer this took, the faster they would catch on. Luckily, he and Gamakichi had rehearsed this bit before.

In a flash of light and ninja smoke, a roughly six foot high toad in a loose fitting jacket appeared before them, apparently somewhat confused as to what exactly it was doing there.

"GAMAKICHI! OIL!"

That was all the confused toad needed to hear to realize, if not what was going on, what his part would be in it. Naruto had discovered about a year ago, as Gamakichi matured, that he had an unusual gift; he produced massive amounts of oil for a toad his size, and he had trained hard with him to take advantage of that fact. With a deep breath, he expelled an enormous stream of the viscous liquid. Simultaneously, Naruto hurled two rolled up pieces of paper and formed a simple seal.

Captain Ichigo realized his predicament in an instant; damn, this kid had a lot of stamina. And luck, too. How had he guessed where he was? Quickly, he dodged to the side, before the fireball could engulf him as it did his clones.

Gamakichi could already see where this was going, and that his part in it was done. He wouldn't be outside of his contract as a summon if he left now, and he had much more interesting things to occupy himself with.

Naruto grinned. That was his man. Quickly, he formed a sequence of hand seals, ending on bird once again. **"Ninpou: Dynamic Summoning no Jutsu!"**

Captain Ichigo's last thought was that he was not entirely sure how he had gotten right in front of the blonde, only that it was by no will of his own. This line of thinking was ended abruptly, however, when Naruto drove a ball of wind natured chakra through his stomach.

Sakura, who had been watching the battle from the tent, was astounded; he had formed that Fuuton: rasengan without any extra hands or any clones, a feat of pure shape and nature manipulation that should _not _be possible, regardless of how good your control was. She made a mental note to ask him what the hell kind of training he'd been doing when this battle was over.

_"Speaking of which, I wonder how Konohamaru is doing."_

At the other end of the clearing, Shiro was pleased. He had taken out a nine opponents, and Izumo, who was covering him, had taken out eight. But that still left three. Where could they be? His question was answered when, for the second time that day, he was ambushed from behind, with no room to wield his deadly bow effectively. Shit. That was getting old.

And again, for the second time that day, he was saved just in time for him to not have to do anything about it. **"Katon: Great Fireball no Jutsu!"** and the three shinobi, who had been spaced far too closely for their own good, were completely incinerated. From behind them came a beaming Konohamaru, looking greatly pleased with himself. And, Shiro had to admit, it had been a pretty cool move.

He smiled at the older teenager. "Thanks, baka."

* * *

Sasuke leapt as the demon brothers came at him, chain extended between them. Did they ever learn? 

Apparently so; before Sasuke could come down on their chain, Gozu disconnected his end, allowing Meizu to sling the chain and wrap it around Sasuke's ankle. Sasuke could see the hint of a wicked grin in his eye as he began to tug back on the chain.

Shit. That was bad. The links of this particular chain were specially made to be razor sharp, and that thing would cut his lower leg to pieces. Good thing for him he had a jutsu for just such an occasion. And it didn't even take hand seals.

**"Chidori Nagashi!" **he cried, as his body arced electricity, sending thousands of volts of the stuff into the chain around his leg, and consequently into Meizu on the other end. Instantly, his body went limp, his nervous system completely non-responsive with so many volts of electricity coursing through it. Sasuke took the opportunity to escape from the cutting chain, landing on the ground in a crouch.

Meizu recovered quickly, drawing the chain back with a whipping motion. "So you've gotten better. Not entirely unexpected after eight years." He smirked. "But so have we."

Immediatley, he and his brother made a single seal, and suddenly one Meizu Gozu chain wielding pair became eight Meizu Gozu chain wielding pair.

"Water clones? You have gotten better."

The brothers just laughed, as a thick mist began to envelope the area. Crap. This jutsu again? Ok, so they had gotten a _lot _better.

Sasuke sighed.

_" Kami-sama, why does everything happen to me?"_

* * *

A/N: Chapter four, um, lots of action. Sorry for the later update, lots of crap today. In fact, most of you will probably read this tomorrow (and by tomorrow I mean today, but twelve to fourteen hours from now, so it's tomorrow as far as I'm concerned.). And I'm going to have to start slowing down the updates when school starts up again, but I'll compensate by making the chapters longer. 

And CrabbyOldHobbit informs me that some people may have been having problems logging in, and thus leaving reviews. As such, I've enabled the anonymous review feature, which I suppose is also a courtesy to those without an account on this site. Lord knows I visited here for months before making one.

And now for something I should have mentioned a long time ago. If you don't read the manga, than skip this part, because it's spoilerish. This fic I suppose is AU after the second panel of chapter 345. Why the second panel you say? Well, as far as this fic is concerned, Sasuke kicked oro's ass without any complications, although Oro may or may not be dead (I won't tell.). And then this story's Naruverse starts.

And special thanks to the two people that added me to their C2s, Packed Mule and Flashing Silver. C2sexposuremore readershappy author. Oh, and thanks to anyone who adds my story to their favorites lists, for the same reason.

Please read and review if you liked it. Or if you didn't. Constructive criticism helps me make the story better, and, dumb as it sounds, outright fanboy/girlism helps motivate me to write this stuff. Both are immensely helpful.

Peace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: You have three chances to guess what I don't own, and one of them has to be Naruto.**

Chapter 5

Sasuke was in a bad way. His eyes were his trump card, and in this mist they were useless. He was going to need a plan for this, and a damn good one. But the problem with good plans is that they take time, and time is something the Demon Brothers weren't going to give him. And he still wasn't sure how he was going to get them to show him the way back to Hidden Wave.

His thoughts were interrupted as one pair of the twins shot out of the mist, chain extended between them to slice through anything in their path. Sasuke had a split second to consider his options; if he ducked under it, they could just lower the chain and cut him while he was in a vulnerable position. If he dodged to either side, who knew what was waiting for him in the thick mist? That left only one choice. If he jumped up, he risked getting caught up in a mess of chains, but it was the least risky proposition he had at the moment, since he could always use the Chidori Nagashi to get out of a fix. Up it was.

But as it turned out, that choice wasn't without its faults either.

Meizu smirked. If he leapt up, he couldn't move, and that was just how he needed it to be for his next attack. He nodded at his brother. Simultaneously, each pressed a button on the side of their clawed gauntlet, and aimed at Sasuke. There was a clicking noise, and then each gauntlet launched five kunai at the helpless shinobi. Of course, they were poisoned; the Demon Brothers don't do things by halves.

"Kuso!" Sasuke was pissed. He had heard the click, and, being no stranger to ninja devices, knew what it signified. How the hell was he supposed to know that the Demon Brothers had upgraded those gauntlets of theirs?

"_Oh well, no time to worry about that now."_ He thought, quickly forming hand seals.Sasuke had a favorite shinobi saying. It was the twelfth saying; 'the shinobi does not enter the battle without knowing how he is going to leave it'. He enjoyed applying this principal liberally to every aspect of his life, and the present situation was no exception. He finished his seal sequence on boar, and stretched his hand out to what he had recalled ought to be a nearby tree.

"**Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"**

Four snakes shot from the sleeve of his ANBU jacket, which he had opted to wear on this journey to the much cooler wave country, and embedded their fangs in a nearby tree. Mentally, he commanded the snakes to draw up and recede, dragging him through the air as their bodies contracted. A fraction of a second later, he heard the kunai cling together, striking one another in a space previously occupied by his body. He landed on the tree with a thump, congratulating himself for his quick thinking but knowing that the assault wasn't yet over.

From behind, a pair of brother clones came, chain extended to cut him in half, just like last time. This time, instead of dodging, he decided he'd take them on. In a flash of steel and lightning natured chakra, he drew his Kusanagi and brought it in an upward slice that severed the chain completely. Just as quickly, he flung a pair of kunai he kept hidden in his sleeves outward at the two clones on either side of him. They were struck squarely in the chest, and dissolved back into the water they had come from.

Sasuke just grunted as he turned to face his next attacker, slicing across the clone as he leapt out of the way of one the other one, trying to wrap the chain around him while he was distracted with the first. He ducked low and kicked up, landing a blow on its jaw powerful enough to end its existence.

"_This is getting old. I've got to get out of this mist somehow…"_

Mentally, he sorted through his repertoire of Jutsu. He stopped when he reached a certain Jutsu, taught to him by Orochimaru. It wasn't traditionally used for this… but desperate times called for a bit of improvisation, something Sasuke staked his pride as a shinobi on. A shinobi must, after all, be able to adapt to the situation. He leapt to the ground; he would need a little open space for this technique. Biting his thumb, he made the five familiar seals of the Summoning Technique.

"**Kuchiyose: Rashomon!"**

The seals began to spiderweb from his hand, and in an instant, a great bulge appeared in the ground. A moment later, a demon gate broke through the ground, and Sasuke had to leap quickly to make it to the top as it continued its ascent. It stopped once it was roughly twenty meters in the air. Sasuke looked around; it was a bit clearer up here, and in any event, the Demon Brothers would have a little trouble getting up here, and he would have the upper hand when they did. It bought him time, which was what he needed when he was so hard pressed.

He had to disperse this mist somehow; but how? He didn't know any wind techniques that could just blow it away; as a matter of fact, his elemental jutsu would be no help in this situation.

"_Blow it away, eh? I suppose it can't hurt. Even if it doesn't scatter the mist, I can at least take out a few of those clones. Maybe even the originals if they're in a particularly stupid mood."_

He crossed his fingers in the seal for the Kage Bunshin. A moment later, three perfect clones knelt with him atop the rashomon. He had seen this technique performed by his brother during their fight three years ago, and spent nearly a year trying to perfect the Jutsu. It was one of the few good things that had ever come out of his relationship with his brother. Actually, this would be his first combat application of the move. He was interested to see the results.

He leapt down, and his clones followed suit. Landing gracefully, they braced themselves for the inevitable five sided clone attack. The demon brothers wasted no time in meeting their expectations, either. In seconds, the five pairs of clones came out of the mist, this time having abandoned their chains and relying on their claws and taijutsu; it was too difficult to try to coordinate those five slicing chains all at once. The Sasuke clones dodged. He could do it now, but he wanted to wait and try to lure the originals into the fight, for maximum effect. One of his clones destroyed a Meizu clone with a leaf rising wind kick, only to narrowly escape being clawed to death by its counterpart. How long could he wait before he risked having the clones destroyed?

Luckily, he wouldn't have to answer that question. Just then, the last pair of brothers, doubtless the originals, came speeding out of the mist, apparently intending to slice the whole pack in half with their razor sharp chain.

Sasuke smirked as he gathered chakra to his feet for a shunshin jutsu. He sped away from the area, not wanting to be anywhere near his clones when this jutsu went off. The demon brothers saw him retreat, and, realizing they had been caught in a trap, immediately began to backpedal.

The belated reaction probably saved their lives. Not a moment later, the area where the clones were fighting was engulfed in flames. The blast from the Clone Great Explosion technique reverberated off the trees, shaking disturbing the peace of the early morning forest for miles around. More importantly, however, it largely dispersed the mist that had blanketed the area; exactly Sasuke's intention.

The demon brothers reeled, trying to recover from the attack. That had been unexpected and, they had to admit, stupid on their part. Of course something more had to be up with those clones; there was always more to shadow clones than met the eye, except where Naruto was involved.

Sasuke, seeing his opening, immediately pressed his attack. He charged forward, slashing with his Kusanagi as he did so. Meizu just had time to catch the blade on his gauntlet, turning it as he did so. Gozu attempted to take advantage of the opening, but Sasuke just twisted out of the way of his strike and kicked the back of his head as he passed by.

The Demon Brothers disengaged; even two on one, they knew they couldn't beat this kid in a close up taijutsu battle. They leapt back, and it was then that Gozu noticed the nearby source of water; it was a small spring, but it would fit their needs perfectly.

"Meizu! Number twelve, now!" Meizu nodded, and immediately, they began making seals together. This was the true strength of the Demon Brothers; with highly refined teamwork, they could perform jutsu together, cutting the time in half and reducing the amount of chakra either used.

"**Suiton: Multiple Piercing Water Fang!"**

From out of the spring behind them, eight whirling columns of water exploded, and immediately turned to Sasuke. They were after him in an instant, snaking their way towards him.

Sasuke remained un-phased. This was a dangerous jutsu, but one with an obvious drawback. They had to channel and control it, which left them open to attack. Trusting the power of his Sharingan, Sasuke charged forward, evading the powerful columns of water as they came at him.

Gozu saw what was happening as Sasuke dodged the third column, and immediately began pumping more chakra into the columns, hoping to stop the nimble Uchiha. But by then it was too late. Pumping chakra into his legs, Sasuke shot over towards Gozu, and executed his final attack.

It was a simple one; some historians theorized that it was among the earliest forms of Ninjutsu. It didn't even require chakra, just a little bit of good muscle control in the mouth. He spat a pair of needles at the startled ninja before him. They struck him in the neck, and a moment later he looked sick. As a matter of fact, he _was _sick. After all, that jutsu was fairly useless unless the needles were poisoned. Seconds later, he fainted completely.

Sasuke had formulated this plan while atop the Rashomon. He couldn't just beat the crap out of them and expect them to see things his way; that only worked in bad Anime. And while Naruto seemed to have held that opinion when they were younger, he liked to think of himself as a smarter ninja than that. But, if he could get them to retreat back to their village, his Sharingan could do the rest. Nobody could cover their tracks well enough to hide them from the Sharingan. The question was, how to make sure they retreated to their village and not some other location?

Meizu glared at him. "You…_bastard._"

Sasuke looked innocently at him. "Oh, he's quite alive. And will be for about two days yet. Despite how fast it takes action, that particular poison takes quite a while to kill its victim. Doesn't even do any lasting tissue damage if you catch it fast enough. Of course, a civilian doctor won't be able to do anything for him. But a good medical _ninja _should be able to fix him up just fine. I don't suppose you would know where to find them though, would you?" The tone of his voice was mocking. He had won, and both of them knew it.

Meizu just glared at him. He really, _really, _would have liked to wipe that shit eating grin off the kid's face with his own poisoned surprises, but, even if he had the skill to defeat the Uchiha, which he didn't, he lacked the time. "How do I know you're not lying to me?"

Sasuke gestured at the prostrate form of Gozu. "I don't think you have the luxury of asking that question. If I'm lying, I suppose nothing happens, and you drag this fight out and I kill the both of you out of frustration. But if I'm not lying…" He left the implication hanging in the air.

Click. Sasuke dodged another barrage of poisoned kunai as in one swift motion Meizu swept up his brother and took off in the opposite direction from the Hidden Wave. He really had no choice but to do exactly as Sasuke planned, but that didn't mean he wouldn't leave Sasuke with a message explaining exactly how he felt about the situation, and it sure as _hell _didn't mean he was going to make the pursuit easy on the younger Shinobi.

Sasuke, sighed, deactivating the Sharingan as he did. Absently, he rubbed his neck where the cursed seal was. Even after years of will training and the application of the Curse Sealing Method, it ached a little any time he used a lot of Chakra. And he had just expended quite a bit. Two Chidori Nagashi, a Rashomon, and three Clone Explosions? He would have to rest a bit before beginning the chase. Not that it mattered; there was nothing he could do to hide his trail from the skilled ANBU.

Just then, Sai stepped from the brush, smiling as always. Sasuke frowned. He had completely forgotten about his teammate. But his frown turned to a scowl as he realized that Sai had done _nothing _to help him.

"Arigato, useless." His voice dripped with sarcastic poison.

"No problem, Homo-san!"

"Seriously though, you could have at least summoned some of your ink beasts to cover me. Is it really so much to ask?"

"Ahh, you seemed to have things under control. I assure you, had you been in any real danger I would have stepped in immediately."

"And what were your criteria for 'real danger'?"

"Severed aorta, loss of consciousness, deadly poison, and…" He paused a moment, as if thinking. "Cardiac arrest."

Sasuke smirked. He honestly couldn't tell if half the things the kid said were a joke or completely serious. Oh well, he was kind of fun in his own quirky little way.

"So, do you know the plan?"

"I heard most of what you said. But shouldn't we be after him now? If we give him too much time he might cover his tracks."

Sasuke just laughed. "He can't hide from these eyes."

"If you say so, Homo-san." Sai yawned. "What's for breakfast?"

* * *

Naruto winced as Sakura began working on his wounds. Medical ninjutsu always felt weird to him. It was almost unnatural to someone who had always been able to regenerate their wounds to suddenly have this foreign chakra in their bodies. He had suffered a few gashes from the Kusarigama, and, though he told her repeatedly that the Kyuubi chakra would take care of it, she insisted that he shouldn't be using it at all, and told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't sit still while she worked, she would make him. He sighed, knowing full well that she meant it, and allowed her to continue administering treatment. 

She had already tended to Shiro's wounded teammates. Their wounds had been mostly superficial, thank god, and it had taken only a few minutes to make them good as new. At the moment, Shiro was interrogating them, asking them everything from the raid on the village to what they'd been able to find out about their captors.

He sighed. The truth was, they hadn't found much. "So, you don't even know that what village they're affiliated with?"

One of his teammates, whose name was Jurota, blinked, a look of confusion on his face. "Neh, what makes you think they're associated with a village?"

"That's not important. Did you manage to find _any _useful information? Anything you think the Oyabun should be made aware of?"

This time, his other companion, the only kunoichi of the team, spoke. "Um, Shiro-kun, I did hear one thing… I don't know if it's really important, but it sounded strange."

Shiro perked. "What was it."

"Well… I heard some of the guards talking… and one of them kept referring to themselves as… the 'forward team'"

Shiro paled visibly. Forward team? Forward for what? Were they the scouts for a much larger task force? How large? This cemented what he had been thinking lately though; there was no group of missing-nin of this size and with this kind of organization. It was counter to their nature, really. They were, by necessity, loners, and mostly self interested, facts that made them largely non conducive to being part of a larger community of shinobi.

So they were part of a much larger force; more importantly, a force that was already in the early stages of making its move. And in Shiro's opinion, they were doubtless affiliated with some village. The Oyabun must know of this.

"Good work, Hime-chan. This information is indeed valuable. Be ready to leave in the next half hour. The Oyabun must know of this as soon as possible." He turned, a good thing too, as he failed to notice as she turned a deep shade of red. How would he know that she had a crush on him? The driven ones, it seems, are always ignorant of the things right under their nose.

He ran over to where Naruto and Sakura were standing. "We need to get home. Now."

They looked questioningly at him. "What's up?" Naruto offered.

Sakura, having just finished working on Naruto looked up at the younger shinobi. "Yeah, has something happened Shiro-kun?"

"Yes. One of my teammates tells me that this group is part of a 'forward team'. Why a scouting and information gathering team would raid a village, I don't know, but if this is the advanced party, then that means the village is in trouble. We must inform the Oyabun _now._"

Naruto nodded, understanding completely. The village could be in danger. He picked himself up, and looked around, trying to locate the rest of his team.

Over in another part of the camp, Konohamaru was attempting to regale Izumo with tales of his bravery. The latter was doing his best to look impressed, but in reality he was annoyed out of his mind. Did this kid ever stop talking?

Shiro spotted them first. He was more than a bit irritated at the motormouth's exuberance during what had just become an incredibly tense situation.

"Neh, stop bragging kid, you killed fewer than anyone else here."

Konohamaru, especially pissed at being called "kid" by a younger boy, retorted. "Nu-uh! I killed five, that's one more than Sakura-chan!"

"No. You killed three. All others were accounted for."

"I killed two in the woods on the way to saving your ass though, so that's five. Your math sucks!"

Shiro had miscounted? He supposed it was possible if they had been out at the time, but it was also likely the idiot was lying to puff up his own ego. He was about to continue his argument with the kid, partly because, for some reason, he derived a perverse pleasure from irritating the older boy. But a look from Naruto caused him to remember his duty, and he conceded.

"Ok, you killed five."

"Damn right!"

"Now, gather whatever things you have and get ready to head to Hidden Fern. We need to get there as soon as possible. Something's come up."

Konohamaru nodded in agreement, content that he had won this round with the arrogant little platinum-blond.

In a matter of minutes, they had gathered their equipment and were off, sailing through the trees towards the Hidden Fern, hoping like hell it would still be there when they arrived.

* * *

The Captain was mad. Of course, he had no real right to be. He should have known sending Ichigo would be a bad idea. Hell, that guy was always looking for a fight. But he was the only one of his captains present at the time with the ability to command. 

He had just gotten word of the massacred forward team. Originally, it had been a battalion of fifty shinobi. Their orders had been explicit; gather information on the defenses of the Hidden Fern, and, if possible, sabotage the outer defenses before the main force arrived, and, most importantly, stay hidden. What part of "stay hidden" sounded like "slaughter a village" to that bloodthirsty idiot.

He sighed. And that wasn't even the worst of it. The worst part was that whoever had attacked that camp had been good, one way or another. _Very _good. That meant that they were either very strong combat ninja, or they were extremely good at covering their tracks. His scouts could find absolutely no drag trails, or any other indication that any bodies had been removed. Hell, they hadn't found any indication that anyone had been there, save for the destruction of the camp. Based on some of the wounds on the bodies his scouts had found, it was most likely the former. Many had been pierced by arrows, and no one who had been shot down had had more than one shot in them; whoever was using the bow had _perfect _aim. Many had been taken down by kunai and shuriken, a few of whom had been stuck in some strange liquid before being taken down. Some stood transfixed in an odd position, as though they had been bound at the time of death. One had had his back broken and his organs smashed. His body had been driven into the earth by some powerful force. A few had been incinerated, and one idiot had been killed by his own kusarigama, though how that happened the captain could only guess. And as for captain Ichigo himself; the Captain had no interest in finding out what had done him in. Much as the poor bastard left a bad taste in his mouth, nobody deserved an end like that.

He sighed. Could the Leaf shinobi be behind this massacre? He knew the leaf had a reputation for producing high caliber shinobi, but to so thoroughly beat his own fifty-man strong forward team? Oh well, that didn't really matter now. Whoever it was, they would doubtless alert the Hidden Fern to the presence of a larger force, and that would put them on their guard. He had no choice in the matter now. He would have to move the attack to tonight. His Shinobi would suffer for it, but they didn't matter. They were trash, mere pawns in a larger game of chess, the scope of which even he had trouble fathoming. Even among the stronger ones, of whom there were a few, there wasn't enough brains scraped together to figure out that there was something highly amiss about the "orders" he had received from the Kage's council.

Hell, there was the slightest possibility that they would lose, and that would make his escape vastly simpler and more troublesome at the same time. Simpler, because he wouldn't have to explain his departure to his own men, though they had proven themselves less than sharp, and more troublesome because he would no doubt be hunted by the pursuer nin of the Hidden Fern, among the finest in their field. And escape he must, for as soon as word of this got back to the Kage's council, the ruse would be up, and his life would be forfeit. And he had no intention of dying just yet, not until he had seen the havoc caused by Akatsuki, as well as experienced his reward. If there was one thing the Akatsuki knew how to do, in his experience, it was reward good ninja work.

He called to his assistant, and a moment later, the younger shinobi appeared in his tent, awaiting his commandment. He eyed the eager young ninja; once, he had considered bringing him into his conspiracy with the Akatsuki, but he had proven too loyal to the village to have anything to do with it. Too hypnotized by the propaganda they forced down the children's throats, too blinded by his loyalty to see how foolish and petty the villages truly were. It was a shame, really; the kid had so much potential.

"Oboro, there's been a change in plans. That damn fool Ichigo has gone and given away his position, and now the Hidden Fern is aware of _something. _I'm moving the attack up to tonight; have the men prepared to move out in two hours."

His second in command looked questioningly at him. "But sir, won't their guard be up? We will lose many ninja!"

"True, but there's nothing we can do about that now, and the longer we give them, the more prepared they'll be. Now, go."

"Hai!"

* * *

Meizu had tried his best to shake Sasuke, and that was saying something. He had wound through the forest, reversed direction many times, and attempted to use the hiding mist technique to get him lost in a fog. But none of that had deterred him, and ultimately, for the sake of his brother, he had had to end the wild goose chase earlier than he liked, making a straight beeline for the Hidden Wave village. 

It was very well hidden; a _true _hidden village, something that had not occurred in many centuries, mostly because the location of the larger villages had been gleaned in previous wars, and slowly become public knowledge. The wave country was a large conglomerate of islands to the south of Fire Country, and on a rugged, unassuming little rock facing the vast Western Ocean was the Hidden Wave Village.

From a nearby island, Sasuke took it all in; it was beautiful, something he wouldn't often notice, but it was the kind of rugged, Spartan beauty that really spoke to him. It was practically a pebble, surviving the ravages of wind and rain and time and waves in a vast and hostile ocean. He also noted, with his ever discerning eye, that it had powerful natural defenses. It was surrounded on all sides except one by a high, rough cliff, and on the side that was beach, there were a very few paths up the rocky cliff face, and he was sure those few were traps. Atop that cliff, he could see green fields with small farms, doubtless there to raise crops for the villages emergency food supply.

And he didn't even know the half of it. There were also a large number of man made defenses that aided the island's natural defenses. The cliff face, somewhat vulnerable to shinobi able to scale walls, was protected with a number of discreet seals that rejected any chakra expelled into the surrounding area, making them impossible to adhere too, if they managed to get past the part constantly bombarded by the ocean. Sasuke had learned _this _the hard way, and it was why he was now standing on this island, trying to find a way to get onto this island without getting killed. Additionally, the shinobi there had perfected machinery to purify seawater, giving them a near-infinite supply. In truth, the only trap free entrance to the island was hidden in an undersea cave, and it was guarded at all hours of the day and night by Hidden Wave shinobi. Sasuke sighed. How the hell was he going to do this?

A sound from Sai interrupted his thoughts. He appeared to be painting a picture of the spectacular vista before him. "What are you staring at so intently, Homo-san?"

Sasuke was too tired and had gotten too used to the moniker to be bothered by it. "Trying to figure out how the hell we're going to get onto this island. Don't suppose you actually have any good ideas?"

"Well, I could always fly up there."

Sasuke jerked. Fly? Could the answer be that simple? "You can fly up there? How?"

Sai just smiled, pulling out another scroll. In an instant, he had drawn what appeared to be a bird, and began making hand seals. A few seconds later, a large and stylized, but otherwise quite real, eagle stood before them. Sasuke gaped. "He can fly us up there?"

"Well, I can't make one big enough for two people, but if you can get in position at the bottom of the cliff I can help you climb up with this." He then pulled out a long length of the strong steel wire Sasuke was so fond of. He looked wary. He could keep it from cutting his hands easily enough, but was there enough?

"Do you have enough of that stuff?"

"Well, no, but I assume you have some of your own? Between the two of us it ought to be enough if we tie the lengths together."

"And I can trust you not to drop me?"

Sai smiled an evil little smile. "At this point, Sasuke-kun, you don't have a choice."

Sasuke cringed. He had a sudden moment of sympathy for Meizu, something that rarely occurred with him. It really sucked, he realized, when your best available choices were bad ones.

"_Oh well." _He reasoned to himself.

"_We trained for this in ANBU, and I did better than most."_

"Alright loser-chan, go fly up there and I'll meet your rope at the base of the cliff. If you drop me, I'll find a way to kill you." The threat was empty but he felt like adding it anyway. It made him feel better, even if it didn't do anything. He tossed his portion of wire to the other shinobi.

Sai smiled, noting that Sasuke had given him a nickname. He caught the wire in his hand, and, nodding to Sasuke, took off for the distant cliff face.

Sasuke sighed. Might as well get his journey started. He was going to be swimming this one, partially because walking on water was highly conspicuous, and partly because, surprisingly enough, the exercise becomes infinitely more difficult on moving bodies of water.

It took him nearly half an hour to reach the island of the Hidden Wave village, and it was several minutes before Sai bothered to look down and saw that Sasuke was sitting there among the rocks, treading water. He might have been a bit embarrassed at his negligence, if he had cared. Fast as he could, he lowered the wire to Sasuke. Sasuke, who was not pleased at having to wait in the cold water, grabbed it as quickly as he could. He wrapped it a few times around his gloved hands. The armor, he reasoned, combined with a bit of chakra, should keep it from cutting his hand, though he was sure it would be quite sore by the time the climb was over, but that was a small price to pay to avoid falling to one's death.

The climb itself was treacherous; the salty sea air made the rocks slippery, and he was unused to having to find his own footing on this kind of surface. But if there was one thing he was, it was adaptable. After an hour of climbing, and several near falls, he had successfully reached the top. He was exhausted, but he had completed what may well have been the hardest part of the journey yet. It was already getting to be late evening, and he needed rest, but that wasn't a problem. It would only make his infiltration easier. He looked over to regard his companion, who had happily returned to his painting.

Sasuke looked at him inquisitively. "You seem to be enjoying yourself."

Sai just smiled. "It's a nice scene. It's haunting, really, the colors of the setting sun against the ocean. I can't tell why, but it makes me long for something, and I don't really know what."

Sasuke looked surprised. "I thought you ex-root guys practiced killing your emotions? What's all this then?"

"We tried, yes, and many of us thought we succeeded, but it never really worked. You can pretend to kill it, and you can try to ignore it, but you can never genuinely destroy your heart. It's as much a part of being human as one's mind or body. The blond idiot, you know him?" Sasuke nodded. Only one person fit that description. "He taught me that."

Sasuke frowned, remembering the years he had tried to kill his heart. His reasons had been different; he would have done anything to get rid of that pain of loss. But the result had been the same in the end. Utter failure.

"Heh, you're right about that."

The atmosphere became extremely uncomfortable then. Somewhat unintentionally, the two emotionally guarded shinobi had made themselves extremely vulnerable, and neither was much a fan of the feeling. Sasuke decided to change the subject, but Sai beat him to it.

"Homo-san, is there a point to sitting out here, other than girl talk?" He hadn't put much heart into the insulting nickname.

"Yes, in fact there is, loser-chan. I'm cold and I'm tired and I need to rest before we begin this operation. Besides, the longer we wait, the darker it gets, and the darker it gets, the more we have working in our favor."

Sai nodded then, and continued his painting.

Several hours later, well after the sun had set, they began their infiltration. Sasuke began by scouting the borders of the village proper with Kage Bunshin. It was located in a bowl shaped depression, wedged between the cliffs looking out over the island's one stretch of beach and the fields where their emergency food supply was grown. The border area had no walls, which were a very weak deterrent to shinobi. However, it was riddled with traps. The traps weren't designed to keep out intruders entirely, but rather to cause as much damage as possible to a large advancing force. They were spaced out so that those who knew the way could bypass them easily, but a large body of troops would inevitably run through several. It was no small chore for the two ANBU to make their way into the village, but they were among the best in their field, and in another half hour they had made it past this latest set of defenses.

Sasuke paused, signaling for his companion to do the same, as he looked out over the village. It definitely had the seedy aesthetic to be expected from a village of former missing-nin. Where most villages were filled with castles, state buildings, apartment complexes, and old clan houses, this village had none of these. Most of the buildings were low, wooden, and sturdy, like one would expect to find in a fishing village. It was crowded as well, with alley's that twisted into unseen nooks and dark streets. Here and there were a few larger buildings and towers, but they looked to have been built with equally poor quality. Also, he noted, there were no training grounds within the area of the village proper. There were several of what looked to be dojos; short, long, rectangular complexes, but almost no square footage was devoted to any kind of natural growth like in the Hidden Leaf, not even for training purposes. It was all residences, bars, brothels, storehouses, blacksmiths, and somewhere, Sasuke reasoned, the office and residence of Momochi Ittoue, Oyabun of the Hidden Wave.

He sighed; it would take forever to search this area, especially while remaining undercover. He briefly considered using the henge, but realized it would be impossible without finding and incapacitating an existing villager. Part of the advantage of keeping the village hidden was that they had complete knowledge of who exactly was supposed to be there, and who was not. An outsider would be spotted immediately. And he would have to be careful with using a henge; he would have to change into someone with an excuse to be wandering around the village and looking around; missing-nin were notoriously suspicious of anything out of the ordinary, and he would doubtless be picked up immediately if his act wasn't perfect.

He motioned for Sai to come closer.

"Hai, Homo-san?" Despite the nickname, his tone was completely serious. He was no slouch when it came to his work.

"There's no good way for us to do this. We're just going to have to stick to the shadows and try to glean what we can. Don't get more than twenty meters away from me. If something goes wrong, I need to know it. Understood?"

"Hai."

With agonizing slowness, they began to comb the village. They started with the bars; and there were a lot of them. Much of the talk they overheard had to do with village politics, and there was a lot about Ittoue, but nothing about where he worked. They briefly moved on to investigate the brothels, and while that had been interesting, they had gained little useful information about Ittoue. Sasuke was starting to get frustrated. This approach wasn't working. However, fate decided to intervene in his favor.

A sound caught his ear, though he couldn't tell why. Maybe because the kid sounded like he had when he was small. "Momma, whas' that building? Tha big one with tha blue roof. It looks pretty, momma!"

"That's where our Oyabun works, sweetie."

"Whatsa Oyabun?"

"He's the leader of this village, sweetheart."

"Leader? Is he strong, momma?"

"The strongest in the village, dear."

"Really? Can I be Oyabun some day?"

The boy's mother laughed lightly. "You'll have to work hard, sweetheart."

The pair of god-sent messengers faded into the dark. Briefly, Sasuke marveled that such idyllic contention could exist amongst former missing-nin. There was something more here than met the eye, but he couldn't worry about that now. He looked at Sai, seeming to ask mentally "Did you hear that?" Sai nodded sharply, as if answering his unasked question. The two of them shot into the night towards the indicated building.

For the headquarters of the village, it was fairly nondescript. Sasuke mused that must be part of their defense, not to blatantly mark any of the important buildings as targets. It had plain white washed walls, and was far from the tallest building in the village, though it was certainly large. Sasuke estimated it to be roughly three stories. Quickly, he and Sai scanned for any signs of life in the building. They found one. Sasuke then flashed Sai one of the secret ANBU hand signs, a form of silent communication they all learned during their training. This one meant "Search for an entrance." They began circling the building, trying to find the easiest way to gain entrance. Unfortunately, another defense mechanism was that it lacked any windows. There was only one viable option left, and one that Sasuke, while skilled in the field, found entirely distasteful. He hated picking locks; it was so boorish. He would rather sneak in discreetly and replace the opening perfectly, but he had no real option here. He took out his tool, and went to work on the lock. It was a complicated one, but nothing he couldn't handle. Sai appeared next to him, having finished his search of the perimeter.

"Homo-san, what is your plan?"

Sasuke grimaced, delicately working the instruments in the lock. "Well, he obviously isn't here, but he's going to have to come here some time. So we wait. Hopefully, the guard will think he forgot to lock the door, though I think they'll be a bit suspicious about it."

Sai looked at him confusedly. "Homo-san, you recall we're trying to secure this man's alliance, not assassinate him? How is sneaking into his office going to facilitate that goal?"

Sasuke grunted, annoyed. "I recall perfectly, loser-chan. I also recall our little altercation with the Demon Brothers. You heard what they said; any attempt to seek a peaceful negotiation will end in us being turned away, even if we try to be persuasive. At least this way we'll be able to talk to the man in charge, and he'll probably be impressed with our skills, and therefore our village. Speaking of which…" Sasuke dodged as three kunai embedded themselves in the door he had been trying to open. The two ANBU turned to face this new threat.

"Is there a good reason for you to be lurking outside my office in the dead of night, apparently trying to break in?"

Sasuke could tell immediately that the man before him was Momochi Ittoue. How? Simple; he was a carbon copy of his brother at the time of his death. His hair was slightly longer, but only barely. Beyond that, he was the same, right down to the curious lack of eyebrows. Across his back was strapped a massive Zanbato, akin to Zabuza's, and he wore a similar bandage-like mask, though his was black. He wore a simple sleeveless vest, and long black pants of the kind usually worn with shinobi uniforms. Finishing off his ensemble was a pair of long, fingerless gloves with a street camouflage pattern, very similar to the kind his brother had worn shortly before his death.

"Ahh, good day, Momochi-Sama."

* * *

Naruto gaped. In a country of wonders, the Hidden Fern village was among the most astounding he had yet seen. Never before had he seen a village and a people so at one with nature. The buildings were in the old style, with sloping tile or thatch roofs that tilt up slightly at the ends, and beautiful wood or whitewash walls with shoji doors. Interestingly, though there were no visible power lines, the buildings still seemed to get power. The villagers hadn't forsaken technology; they had just refused to forget their heritage in the process of embracing it. 

Most of the buildings were low, though there were a few taller ones. And throughout the village, like in the one that had met with a less fortunate end, there were trees, sometimes integrated with the architecture. Many of the older buildings had been extended into the larger trees, creating massive tree-house complexes that were strung about the village in haphazard fashion, adding to its rustic charm. The streets were wide and often overhung with branches, though that didn't keep the freshly arrived stars from peering through. They passed many restaurants and bars on their way through the village, each one filled to the brim with glowing patrons. The people here were happy, and they were safe, and it filled Naruto's heart with an emotion he couldn't describe to know that such a place existed. The only thing to dampen his spirits was the looks the villagers gave him and his friends as they passed; they were way too much like the looks he had received as a child, and sometimes still did, for his comfort. He tried to reason that the Hidden Fern, who had very few visitors, had an excuse for being xenophobic, but somehow it didn't make him feel any better.

He had already met with his team; they had been regarded suspiciously at first, but when they had shown that they were carrying a wounded Fern shinobi, they were welcomed with open arms. They were now resting at an inn, something Naruto wished desperately he could do after the long day he had had thus far, but he still had business to take care of. He still had to visit the Oyabun.

It was late when they arrived at the village's shinobi headquarters; the building was vaguely castle like, with strong stone walls and several stories with various defensible points. The roof was made with green tile, and had several dragon motifs adorning the points where two sides connected. The walls were covered in ivy, a recurring theme in a village very much in love with the forest that surrounded it. Naruto, along with Konohamaru, Sakura, Izumo, Shiro, and his two teammates, stepped inside.

Immediately, Naruto got the feeling of being underdressed. If the interior of this building wasn't old, it did a good job faking it. From the tatami mats that covered the floor, to the wooden walls and the two guards scowling down at him. Hell, the place even _smelled _old. But the underdressed feeling immediately left him when he saw the man occupying the low desk at the center of the room.

The man had a long, wild mane of light blond hair, and intelligent looking grey eyes. The smile on his face was easygoing and inviting, and there was a smoking pipe in his mouth reminiscent of the one the Sandaime used to smoke. He was dressed in light gray yukata with an emerald green hakama, and leaned slightly to one side. Naruto couldn't explain it; maybe it was the man's posture, maybe it was the smile, but something about him radiated calm and made him feel at home in the strange place.

Shiro walked forward and knelt before the Oyabun. "Ohayo, Oyabun-sama."

The Oyabun of the Hidden Fern village looked mildly amused. Grinning, he leapt from his spot, grabbing the younger shinobi in a headlock. "Please son, call your own otosan Otosan! It feels weird when you call me 'Oyabun-sama'"

Naruto and company stared, and Shiro's female teammate suppressed a giggle. This was the Oyabun of the Hidden Fern?

Konohamaru, however, had a look of complete and utter delight on his face. This was gold, as far as he was concerned.

Shiro looked supremely annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. "But I'm you're subordinate, and you are the Oyabun-sama!" he managed to grunt out between noogies. He hated it when his dad did this. It felt like special treatment, and it wasn't even good special treatment.

"But I'm your father first, and kids call their fathers Otosan, right?"

Shiro was tired of arguing with his father, and wanted to end this without any further embarrassment.

"Otosan… I have a report." His father let him go then, beckoning for him to continue.

"We happened upon a camp of bandits that had attacked and destroyed one of our villages…"

The look on the Oyabun's face was grave. Shiro continued. "We destroyed them all, but my teammates gathered critical intelligence. It appears that that group was just a 'forward team'. I have reason to believe that there are more of them, and that they plan to attack the village." He tensed, waiting for his father's reaction.

The Oyabun thought over this for a moment. "What you say is the most logical answer, Son. I will alert the village to the potential threat. Now go get some rest, you deserve it."

"Hai, Oya…" His father grinned. "Otosan." He left the room then, hoping to salvage what little dignity his father had left him.

The Oyabun turned to Naruto. "He's a good kid, really, just doesn't want other people to think he's getting special treatment. I can't see why he'd think that, he's one of the best we have. I take it you're the team leader for the Leaf ninja?"

Naruto nodded. "Hai."

"Then I thank you. Not only did you do good by destroying those ninja, but you put up with my kid for the better part of a day. Frankly, I'm impressed."

Naruto smiled. This was a good start. Why not broach the subject now? He had never felt more at ease with a person than the man sitting before him.

"Ahh, well then, if you don't mind, Oyabun-sama, I'd like to discuss something with you." He bowed low as he spoke, trying to remind himself that he shouldn't treat foreign leaders the way he treated Oba-chan.

"Is it about an alliance?" Naruto was taken aback, but tried not to show it. Had he been that transparent?

The Oyabun answered his unasked question. "It's fine, I had a feeling the Leaf would propose something like this. Honestly, its part of the reason I hired them, since I'd be far more receptive to an offer from them than from some other villages."

Naruto let out his breath. So the guy wanted this as much as they did; this would make his job easy.

"However…"

Naruto swore in his head. 'However' was almost never a good word, in his experience. It always complicated things.

"Yes?"

"I have a few concerns."

"Such as?"

"Naruto-kun, are you familiar with the concept of a 'buffer state'?"

Naruto nodded; it was a border state, used by other, larger powers as a means of stalling enemy armies while they gathered their own, or else as a place to fight their battles in order to prevent damage to their own territories.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Well you see Naruto-kun, the Forest Country has no interest in being a buffer state. But finding ourselves on the borders of three of the major powers means that we are in a perfect condition to become such. How do I know that the Leaf will not simply use us to prevent attacks from Cloud and Mist."

Naruto clenched his fists. "The Hidden Leaf does _not _use or abandon its allies. If you want proof of that, go ask Gaara, Kazekage of the Hidden Sand."

The Oyabun smiled. He admired the kid's conviction, even if he could have used a dash of tact. "An admirable stance, Naruto-kun, but one you must prove to me over the following days before I will consider talking about an alliance. However, should I find your performance in handling this bandit crisis satisfactory, I will be more than happy to entertain thoughts of an alliance. Until then, however, I expect you to be trying to impress me."

Naruto smiled. He'd show this guy how the Hidden Leaf supported its friends.

"Now then, if there will be nothing more…"

Outside, near the edge of the village, a small series of lights flashed out a message in morse code; attack.

Seconds later, an explosion rocked the east side of the village.

Back in the Oyabun's office, the gathered shinobi snapped in unison towards the noise.

The Oyabun looked mildly distressed.

"Oh, dear."

* * *

A/N: Ok, first off, for any of you wondering if there is going to be some kind of OCxOC romance going on, the answer is no. That little scene with Shiro and his teammate was kind of a one off, but one I think reveals a lot about his character. 

Meant to post this chapter a few hours sooner, but whatever. I slammed it out, pausing only long enough to watch Naruto (It was one of those episodes that's just so good that no amount of bad voice acting or poor animation quality can ruin it.) and play a little Gears of War. Strangely enough, my writing process involves writing till I hit a block and then killing some digital aliens. Works for me.

Overall, I felt really good about this chapter. I felt like I really hit my stride with Sasuke, and I think I did alright with Sai too. Avalokannon, I tried to keep in mind what you said about my style while writing this, but reading it again I may have slipped back into those tendencies a few times, though all in all I think I did alright. I'm afraid I couldn't write the introduction to the Hidden Fern Oyabun any other way though; I was trying to go with an Urahara-esque feel for the character, which requires a little bit of goofyness.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, the last chapter marked both the twentieth review and the most reviews I've gotten for a single chapter. Kind of lame, but I like to think in milestones. And thanks to those who added me to c2s, as well as those who added me to favorites. To see the C2 to Happy Author conversion formula, see last chapter's AN.

Please read and review. Anything you have to say is appreciated, as long as it's not an outright insult. If it's constructive criticism, it makes me a better writer, which makes you a happier reader, and if it's praise all around, it makes me happy inside.

Peace.

P.S: Anyone who has the time, go look at Sakura's Wikipedia page (I visit those pages a lot, mostly to help keep continuity with the manga.) and tell me she's not crosseyed in that pic at the top.

P.P.S: The first reviewer for this chapter asked this question, and I forgot to mention it in the A/N, so I made a quick update; there will be no SasuxSai, nor will Sasuke be paired with a guy. The only point of that scene was to highlight the kind of "feelings are for homos" attitude I'd expect to find in a male dominated warrior culture.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Not Kishimoto, don't own Naruto. I'd think of a better disclaimer, but it's late.  
**

* * *

Momochi Ittoue regarded the two ANBU before him. Hidden Leaf? He hadn't stepped on their toes in the past, had he? His brother had had an altercation or two with them, but he had thought the Hidden Leaf were more mature than to pursue him for the crimes of his brother. Maybe they had been hired by a village he had crossed to finish him off? It wasn't unheard of in the shinobi world, since they were technically all mercenaries for hire, but normally a village had the stones to deal with such problems themselves. In any event, they hadn't immediately tried to attack him, even having recognized him, and he had been in an unusually good mood today, so he decided to attempt conversation _before _cutting them in half. 

"Well?" He arched what ought to have been an eyebrow, awaiting their answer.

It took Sasuke a second to gather his thoughts, still a little shaken from his initial encounter. Getting caught breaking into the man's office was not a good beginning to peaceful diplomatic relations, and certainly not the terms he would have liked to start out on.

"Well, would you believe it if I told you that we're a diplomatic delegation from the Hidden Leaf?"

Ittoue grinned a little under his mask. Was this kid crazy, or just an idiot? "Aside from the fact that you haven't yet tried to kill me, and that you're from a village I've yet to offend, I'd say you don't have a whole lot of evidence to back up your claim."

Sasuke had to admit, the man had a point. He was about to respond when the man continued.

"Now then, if you were a diplomatic delegation, I must ask, _why _are you trying to break into my office? That's the kind of thing one would expect from an assassin, not a diplomat."

"Ahh, that's what I said, Momochi-sama." Sasuke glared. He was supposed to be helping him. Oh well, at least he had an answer for the man's question.

"Well, you make it awfully difficult for a diplomat to see you any other way. Your village is almost impossible to get into, much less find, and you turn back anyone that tries to make the journey peaceably. "

"And the vast majority of diplomats take the hint and go away. It should be quite obvious that we want nothing to do with alliances." A thought occurred to him then.

"By the way, how _did _you get in here? Nobody's ever been able to infiltrate the village like this. If it wasn't such a serious breach of security, I'd be damned impressed."

"The Demon Brothers led us here." Sasuke smirked, clearly impressed with himself.

Ittoue's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't have been able to use the entrance they did, and you sure as hell couldn't have walked up the cliffs. So what's the whole story?"

Sasuke just smiled. "I'm afraid that would be revealing secret Hidden Leaf ninjutsu, something you can't be privy too unless you wish to discuss our alliance proposal, Momochi-sama."

He fingered his Zanbato. "Not even if I cut you?"

"'Fraid not."

"Ok, let's discuss then."

Sasuke smiled confidently, but inside he was apprehensive. This was too easy. His inner suspicions were proven when Ittoue spoke next.

"The Hidden Wave has absolutely no interest in, nor a need for, any alliances. What does the Hidden Leaf have to offer us? Nothing, that's what. You've seen it yourself, boy, this island is absolutely invulnerable to a mass attack. And anyone who thinks they can come in here and sabotage the place…" he indicated the massive cutter on his back. "I'll deal with. So Konoha has nothing to offer us. Therefore, the only thing they could possibly want from this alliance is the bodies of my men. And the Hidden Wave _refuses _to be used as fodder."

Sasuke snorted at this. Did this fool really think he could maintain a defensive stance in this conflict? "And you seriously think you can hold out against the major powers in this war? This island's defenses aren't as impervious as you'd think, Momochi-sama. We could have easily snuck a dozen more ANBU in here with only thirty more minutes, all the while easily evading your patrols. I don't think you want to know what a dozen ANBU with a modest supply of explosives can do to a village this crowded in just a few minutes." He paused for breath before continuing. He was bluffing a little, but not too much. It would be technically feasible to mount a surprise attack on this village with a few elite ANBU squads, even if it was harder than he was trying to make it sound.

"And you think they're just going to leave you alone, Momochi-sama? Don't be foolish. They're not going to send squads here, Momochi-sama, they're going to send _armies. _You're pathetic little village is the only thing standing between the larger villages and the trade routes of Wave Country, trade routes to the eastern continent and the western shores. Those trade routes could supply armies and move troops, and they aren't afraid to lose a few men to do it. If that happens, Momochi-sama, you will fall, and others will suffer for your pride. And not just the villagers you're sworn to protect, either."

"_There. May have overdone it a little bit, but he got the message."_

"Hmmph. A war, you say? This aint' a war, kid, it's a pissing contest. A pissing contest between the major powers to see who can kill more men and take more territory, and I don't plan on having anything to do with it. Why should we?"

"And you think they'll just leave you alone? Pissing contest or no, the Hidden Wave will be drawn into this fight, and without support it will fall."

Ittoue seemed to consider his words. The kid was right, he knew that. The Wave Country was a highly prized target, being small, but crossing several major trade routes. And he knew also that his defenses had weaknesses, weaknesses that he couldn't account for. He didn't tell Sasuke, but he knew that there were several ways for Shinobi to fly, usually using some kind of summoned beast or construct, and that there was no defense against it. And the crowded nature of his village was its biggest weakness, making it hugely susceptible to bombing attacks.

_"Probably how the kid got in here."_

But he knew that his village was small. Too small to suffer the major casualties they were likely to suffer if they tried to involve themselves in the main conflict. Ittoue hated this. There were no good options when it came to this war. If he joined the fight on the side of Konoha, his forces would slowly be whittled away on countless battlefields. If he tried to stay out of it, his country would be coveted, and one of the major powers would ultimately destroy his village, even if he gave them hell for it.

_"Damn."_

Momochi Ittoue was getting into that vicious circle of indecision that had plagued him for months, the circle of exactly how he was going to screw over his village. Send them to their deaths in a war that wasn't theirs, or let an inevitable and cruel death and subsequent subjugation come to them? He hated questions like this, questions with no good answers.

And then there was the question of what to do with the two ninja before him; it was clear to him that they weren't an immediate threat, as they hadn't taken advantage of the numerous openings he had presented them. Of course, it could be that they were simply trying to earn his trust, but there was nothing he could do to determine their true intention if that was the case.

And that wasn't even the half of it.

He was in the unique position of _not _being able to kill them and _not _being able to let them go; for if he killed them, it would be a blatant act of aggression against the "delegates" of the Hidden Leaf, and Konoha, whether it liked it or not, would have to declare war in order to keep from looking weak. Furthermore, it would put him in the position of being the one to have started the war, an act that would surely seal the fate of his village.

But he couldn't let them go, either. That would be construed as an act of weakness on the part of his village, something that would attract aggression like vultures to carrion as soon as this inevitable war did break out.

He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. In retrospect, it was a horrible idea to try and start this village. Not that he wasn't a damn good Oyabun, any of the villagers would tell you that he was the best. And deep down, he knew that they needed him, needed his strength and his energy. And even deeper, in the depths of his soul that he wouldn't bear to _anyone_, he loved being needed, and he loved the people who needed him. But this just wasn't his style. His style was brash and direct, a strong hand that forced its way through problems. One only needed to look to the massive sword across his back to see that. But this political jockeying was full of nuances that he really didn't have the patience or the subtlety for.

A small cough from one of the ANBU (the one who hadn't talked much, he noted.) reminded him where he was and what needed to be addressed. Well, he couldn't just let them roam the village; they would have to be locked up. Not just that; he needed time to himself to clear his mind and try to sort through this political train wreck, and he couldn't do that beneath the boring eyes of the two shinobi before him.

Sasuke was starting to get irritated with the older nin's over-long pause when he spoke. "What are your names?"

"_Well, that's better than 'I think you're full of shit and I'm going to kill you for it'" _he mused privately. _"might as well be polite and comply."_

"Uchiha Sasuke" he stated simply.

Momochi Ittoue was shocked, though he did a damn good job of not showing it. An Uchiha? He was glad he went with his unusually friendly impulse on this one. The Sharingan can be a nasty surprise when one isn't prepared for it; his brother had found that out the hard way. He turned his gaze to the other, quieter ANBU.

"Sai"

"No Clan Name?"

"None that you should concern yourself with."

Sasuke glared at his companion. Did the kid really have to be so damned abrasive?

But Ittoue just laughed. "Haha. Fair enough. Now then, seeing as how you broke into my village, I can't just let you walk free. But I don't feel like killing you, it really is bothersome." Of course, the truth was that he couldn't kill them, but a good ninja and a good politician always maintains the illusion of control, even in situations where they have none. "So tell you what. If you stay in my jails for a night or two I'll listen to your little proposal."

Sasuke glanced at him warily. "And what if I don't feel like spending a night in jail?"

Ittoue chuckled once more. Much as he hated to admit it, he had to like the kid's spunk. "You don't really have a choice if you want to go about this peaceably. The only easy way off this island is through my men, and you really don't want to make that scene. Now, are you going to comply peacefully, or do I have to force you?"

Sasuke chewed his lip nervously, something he was prone to do in situations like this. _"Well, if it will put me in his good graces, I suppose I'll _have _to comply."_ However, he couldn't resist one last comment to the smug shinobi leader."You know, a night in jail is no way to treat foreign diplomats."

"And breaking into my office is no way to kick off negotiations."

"_Damn. He's got a point."_

Silently, Sasuke complied, motioning for Sai to do the same. Together, they made their way down into the Hidden Wave, Ittoue leading the way. He sighed as he did so. This had just become an extremely long night.

* * *

"What the hell was that?!" Konohamaru had run straight past ninja rule number three 'The shinobi remains calm and collected, even in the face of death' and was busy working himself into quite a panic; this was way too much like the Sound invasion of Konoha for his liking. Konohamaru had something of a minor anxiety of situations like that. Call it a phobia I suppose, but that event represented a time when his precious people were in danger, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. It always made his heart sink thinking about it. 

The Oyabun remained calm. Though he was shocked and scared and wanted nothing more than to go see to his people's safety, he was experienced enough to know that even taking time to form a half-assed plan could mean the lives of himself and his people. He closed his eyes, and began rubbing his temples, apparently deep in thought.

"Well, explosions don't normally occur this time of night, so I'm going to have to assume that we're under attack." He gestured to one of his aides.

"Go to the top of the tower here and issue order number seventeen." Wordlessly, his aide moved to comply. The Oyabun turned to the rest of the group. "As for us…" he began, opening his eyes. "Order number seventeen is a particular sequence rung from one of our bells; it means 'if the village is under attack, all soldiers and civilians retreat to within the first defensive perimeter'. We will try to meet up with my men there. I don't suspect strong ninja such as you will have any trouble breaking through the enemy lines?"

Naruto nodded sharply. While he couldn't say he had been _hoping _for an attack, it would be an opportunity for the Oyabun to see the strength and dedication of the leaf shinobi first hand; it would, assuming they survived, at least work to their advantage.

Of course, that entire course of events hinged on them surviving, something that was never certain in a surprise attack like this.

In a half dressed storm of feet, Shiro came bursting down the stairs. He had barely had time to start undressing when the attack had begun, and had to hastily throw his shirt and quiver back on before bolting downstairs. He looked pointedly at his father. "Otosan, what's wrong?"

"We're about to find out. Konoha team, take point. Shiro-chan." Shiro would have balked at the pet name had the situation been less serious. "You and your team will accompany me." The bell atop the tower of the Oyabun began to toll out the order number seventeen. "That's our queue to leave. Any questions?" Naruto raised his hand, reminding the Oyabun vaguely of an anxious schoolchild who just knows he has the right answer. "Yes?"

"Er, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name, Oyabun-sama? Oyabun-sama is a real mouthful, and I hate being that formal anyway." The Oyabun smiled. Well, the leader of the leaf shinobi was calm, even if the short one with the black hair looked like he was having a seizure.

"My name, is Takazuka Takashi. And yours?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

_"Uzumaki?" _

He had heard that name many times before, in connection to one of the leaf's strongest shinobi, but it hadn't occurred to him that they would send him on this mission. He matched the physical descriptions perfectly though; blond hair, blue eyes, and strange whisker-like birthmarks on either side of his face.

"Well Uzumaki-san, it's a pleasure to meet you. Now, if you don't mind, my village is burning…"

Naruto nodded, and they were out the door and speeding into town in seconds. Naruto's team, as per the plan, spread out to the front and along the sides, ready to meet any incoming threat. At the same time, Shiro's team stuck close to Takashi, ready to defend him from any surprise attacks that might come their way.

It didn't take them long to meet up with the enemy.

They were only a hundred or so feet out the door of the Oyabun's tower before they met their first foes. Out of a shower of trees to their left, a barrage of kunai and shuriken flew, followed by the men that had thrown them.

**"Fuuton: Cyclone Barrier no Jutsu"**

Naruto's quick reaction saved the group from most of the projectiles, though Konohamaru received a shallow wound on his shoulder. Their foes were sent reeling, most managing to deflect or avoid their reflected kunai, though one fell with a gaping wound in his neck.

Seven of some of the roughest looking shinobi Naruto had ever seen appeared now stood before him, eyeing him warily. They wore steel grey uniforms and most had their faces covered, but what startled him most was their Hitai-ate, or rather the fact that they wore them openly.

"Hidden Cloud?" he wondered aloud "Are these idiots _trying _to start a war?"

One of the enemies, apparently the leader, laughed at this. "Look around you, baka. We've _already _started a war. Just because the rest of the continent doesn't know that doesn't mean they won't soon, right after we waste this pathetic country and subjugate its ninja. Now…" He turned to leer at the Oyabun. Instinctively, Shiro and his team tightened their circle around him, making ready to summon their bows if the cloud-nin made any moves.

Naruto motioned to Konohamaru. The intended message was clear; make a move, now. Immediately, Konohamaru formed three hand signs, special ones developed by the Sarutobi clan for a few of their specialty jutsu. Years before, before Konoha was more than a good idea, the Sarutobi clan had developed a relationship with the primates that roamed the forests and mountains of what would become Fire Country, and to this day they taught their children many of the techniques they had created based on that relationship.

"**Ninpou: Beast-Human Henge, Saru!"**

The seal sequence was short enough that he had time to evade the enemy shinobi's counterattack as the jutsu took effect. His nails extended into claws, as did his canine teeth into short fangs. At the same time, the hair around his face thickened in a subtle way, and by the time he leapt up to the tree and out of the way of the attack his appearance had taken on a distinct ape-ish edge.

Shiro just stared. So he had a technique that made him look ugly? Apparently, his enemies shared this sentiment. "Great, so now you're as ugly as you are stupid. Any other secret jutsu we should know about, Baka-chan?"

Konohamaru scoffed. In a flash, he was behind the man. He grabbed the man's head in one hand, and in one swift motion drove his opposite knee into the other side of the man's face. He dropped instantly, knocked cold by the powerful and sudden attack. Konohamaru leapt free, even as the six remaining shinobi sprang into action; the melee had been initiated, and Konohamaru knew his enhanced speed and agility wouldn't be enough. He bit his thumb and began the six seal sequence for another of his signature moves.

Halfway through his sequence, two men behind him seemed to explode from their formation and fly into opposite trees, each one's body thoroughly broken. He smiled as he finished. He could have handled them easily, but the gesture was appreciated all the same. "Thanks, nichan!"

Naruto's voice came from behind him. "No problem kid, take care of the last four."

He slammed his hand into the ground.

"**Kuchiyose: Nyoibo!"**

He grabbed the Sansetsukon that appeared before him. He gave it a few test swings, meant to intimidate the four shinobi spread out before him. They were wary; it looked harmless enough, but that was what they had thought about his last technique.

The de-facto leader made a subtle signal; three of them would engage this shinobi, while one dashed away and tried to get a shot off at the Oyabun with one of their hidden needle shooters, a staple of the Hidden Cloud. With any luck, they would land a poisoned needle on him, and if he fell the rest of the invasion would go much more smoothly. With a hand signal, they were off.

Konohamaru lashed out immediately at the one on his right, even though he was still well over eight meters away. But his staff seemed to comply with his mental demand that it extend, and the chain grew in length as he flung the far end of his staff at his opponent. It struck the shocked shinobi on the temple, killing him instantly. The other two who had attacked him stopped in their tracks, trying desperately to backpedal. Seeing this, Konohamaru swung the elongated Sansetsukon around, taking both of them out with a sweeping strike.

The one who had broken off to strike the Oyabun met with similarly poor results; it had really been a half baked plan to begin with, but Shiro's lightning fast draw had thrown an additional wrench in it, and the man fell to the ground with an arrow wound in his skull before he could get close enough to execute his attack.

But he wasn't even paying attention to the man he had killed; he was looking straight at Konohamaru. Who knew the noisy kid actually had skills? Had he just been shown up in front of his own father?

Takashi looked pleased; the Hidden Leaf was indeed strong. "Excellent work, Uzumaki-kun."

Naruto nodded his thanks, taking note of the subtle change of honorifics, before indicating that they should continue. Konohamaru quickly retracted his sansetsukon, and they were off again, dashing through the village towards the secure area.

They continued on in this pattern for nearly forty five minutes, their progress severely hampered by frequent surprise attacks not unlike the first one; a group of Shinobi, the largest one containing half a dozen men, would attempt to take them by surprise with a shower of kunai or a ranged jutsu, only to be beaten away by Naruto and Konohamaru while Shiro and the Fern shinobi defended their Oyabun. Sakura hung back most of the time, trying to conserve her chakra for the injuries she would inevitably find once they reached the safe zone. Izumo stayed back, stating that he would protect the medic-nin. The truth, however, was that it was simply a waste to try and aid the twin balls of energy; it would be complete overkill against these mid level cloud-nin.

Shiro watched Konohamaru as he waded through the throng of enemy shinobi. He was developing a grudging respect for the older boy, one that grew with each cloud or mist-nin that fell to the ground. He didn't even have to do much; as soon as an enemy showed their face, one of the two Konoha shinobi was upon them within seconds.

Finally, shortly after the seventh ambush, they reached the perimeter of the safe zone. It was near the more densely populated central zone of the village, a region with fewer large trees for enemy shinobi to use for infiltration, and narrow streets that made attacking en-masse difficult. The main streets, one of which the group had been traversing to get towards the safe zone, had barricades hastily erected from whatever was nearby. The group of archers guarding the barricade looked visibly relieved to see their Oyabun safe, and the half dozen or so reinforcements he brought with him were a welcome sight as well.

Takashi's men bowed to him as he finally crossed the threshold with his entourage. Even here, though, they weren't completely safe. Even as nearby as a few dozen yards, the sound of clashing weapons and quickly moving feet that indicated a ninja battle could be heard. Naruto, with his unnaturally sharp senses, could hear even greater conflicts to the north and east. He sorted through this information in his mind, filing it away for later use.

"_That must be where they broke through, and where the greatest number of troops is concentrated."_

"Where is Ryotaro?" Takashi asked. His voice held the same calm but strong edge it always did, even in what was quickly becoming the greatest crisis of his tenure as Oyabun. Part of it was his personality; he was just that laid back. But a part of him also knew that it boosted his men's spirits to see a leader that at least appeared to be in control, even when in truth he was as scared shitless as they were.

"He's set up headquarters in the predetermined spot, the fifth weapons storage warehouse. He should be there, directing things."

Takashi gave his men a swift bow of gratitude before motioning for his company to follow.

The streets around them were crowded with all kinds of activity. On top of the buildings and rushing through the streets, a small contingent of shinobi, most likely on a break from the front line action, guarded the non-combatants from attack. Civilians were everywhere, doing whatever they could to aid the defense. Some constructed hasty secondary defenses, while others tried to calm down and care for the younger children, and still others scurried here and there with supplies. Naruto noticed that a few of the runners weren't carrying supplies at all, but rather bundles of sealed and unsealed messages.

"Don't you guys have radios?" He wondered aloud.

Takashi, observant as ever, understood the source of the question. "Yes, but I imagine most of the standard channels are being jammed, and the few secret ones we have are being dominated by tactical communications. Most of the runners you see are carrying non-critical information, such as lists of families not yet accounted for and casualty reports."

Sakura, being a devout medic-nin, took exception to the labeling of casualty reports as "non-critical", but decided not to comment. She was, after all, supposed to be a diplomat.

Pushing their way through the crowd, (which wasn't as hard as it ought to have been, as most people recognized Takashi and realized he had important business to attend to), they made their way towards the fifth weapons storage warehouse. It was a relatively non-descript building, though in the otherwise beautiful and naturally-oriented Hidden Fern village it stood out for its urban plainness. It was roughly two stories high, with a slightly rounded wood roof and smooth concrete walls washed a light green. The wooden sliding doors that made up the entrance had the kanji for 'five' painted across the front, making it's identification as the fifth warehouse a simple task.

The two archers guarding the entrance quickly stepped aside upon sighting Takashi, making way for him and the curious group that followed him to enter the building.

Inside, the building was a mess of boxes that had apparently been dipped into for war supplies. A few shinobi rested here and there, awaiting their next mission assignments, and an area had been cleared out in the center where a tall, dark haired ninja was discussing strategy with a small group of other ranking officers. However, what caught Naruto's eye was a messy haired Tokubetsu-Jounin whose fate, along with the rest of his squad's, had been worrying him since the beginning of the attack.

"Kotetsu!"

He looked haggard, but that was better than dead, at least in Naruto's book. Looking at Takashi, who gave a slight nod to show his approval, he wasted no time making his way to his comrade.

"How are the others? Are there any casualties?" Naruto looked anxious, like a kid opening his report card.

Kotetsu hesitated slightly before speaking; he knew how much it hurt Naruto when soldiers died under his command.

"Akiko, Takehito, and Shigeru are dead. Three others were badly wounded and none of us managed to escape without our share of injuries." Naruto's frown, which had been forming since the conversation began, deepened as Kotetsu continued. "I'm sorry, Uzumaki-teichou. The section of the city we were assigned to stay in was right next to the area where initial assault occurred, and we were taken off guard. Akiko and Shigeru fell trying to hold the breach long enough for ourselves and the civilians in the surrounding area to evacuate. Takehito died protecting civilians as they evacuated the northern sections of the city. They were…good deaths, I suppose. If there is such a thing…"

Naruto looked devastated; half his squad killed or incapacitated before the second hour of fighting was finished?

"_Am I such an awful leader as to let this happen? No… I couldn't do anything… but don't great leaders keep these kinds of things in mind? Would the Fourth have been able to prevent this?"_

His voice was uncharacteristically hollow when he spoke next. "Sakura-chan… please… go find the infirmary."

She complied, worrying quietly at the tone of her friend's voice. She hated it when he was sad. She stopped near him, feeling the need to say something, anything to ease the burden of his dead and wounded soldiers from his shoulders. "Naruto-kun… There's nothing you could have done. You know that, right?"

"Obviously… but that doesn't mean I can't mourn them. And besides, I feel like… like a great leader would have all the answers. If I were Hokage, a similar oversight could have cost so much more…"

"Ahh." And Sakura left him there. It was an undignified exit to say the least, and as much as she wanted to comfort him, she knew that she didn't have time to say whatever it was that would bring him out of this mood; even though she desperately hated to see him like this, he would have to get over it on his own. She took her job as a medic-nin seriously, after all.

Naruto turned to join Takashi. He had been hoping that she would know the words he needed to hear, like back at the camp when they had been gazing at the stars. But even she, apparently, couldn't work miracles all the time, though she was damn good at it in his opinion. He was stopped, suddenly, by Takashi's voice. "Naruto-kun…"

He looked up into the face of the older shinobi, that hollow look still in his eyes. He hadn't noticed before how tall Takashi was, but when they were right next to one another the height difference was pronounced.

Takashi, noticing he had the blond's full attention, continued, slowly. "It is true… that a good leader plans ahead. But nobody can plan for everything, and it's a waste for you to dwell on what you can't change. But in my experience as a leader, and I'd like to think I've been a good one, what makes an effective leader is not how well he plans; no plan, as they say, survives contact with the enemy. It's how well he plays the situation that determines his prowess. If you want an example from your own village, just look at the Yondaime; there was nothing he could have done to prevent the Kyuubi's massacre, but he lessened the impact of its attack as much as possible, sacrificing his life in the process. He was a truly great leader, and you should be proud to know that your soldiers left this world with that same conviction and dignity."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the Kyuubi, though Takashi couldn't fathom why. Maybe he had lost his parents or other loved ones in the attack? He looked to be about that age. But regardless of the brief moment of awkwardness, he smiled a moment later, and it wasn't a sad or regretful smile, but a genuine one; one of the smiles that radiated confidence and light.

"Arigato, Takashi-san."

It was the kind of thing he wished Sakura would have said. He didn't feel as inspired as he did when she said it, but he felt better, and he felt something he needed; determination. Determination not to die, not to let these people die, and not to let the sacrifices of his comrades be for nothing. Takashi smiled, heartened by the renewed life in his eyes. He turned then to his second in command, the General Ryotaro. Naruto joined them, eager for any information on the battle the commander had to offer.

"You were saying?"

"We've got problems, Oyabun-sama."

"Such as?"

"This invasion force… is large. Exact numbers are unclear, but estimates from some of our forward scouts range between several hundred and a few thousand…"

"Oh my."

"…Indeed. With such overwhelming force, we've encountered a problem. The enemy shinobi overran much of the village even before you could toll out the retreat order."

For the first time since Naruto had met him, Takashi's expression fell. "How many made it into the barrier?"

"Roughly half have been accounted for, Oyabun-sama."

Takashi felt a tiny crack begin to form in his heart, and it would be a good deal of the way out the back of his chest before Ryotaro spoke again. Half his people, murdered in the course of an hour? How was it possible?

"There is still hope, sir."

Takashi perked, almost forgetting the gloom that had been enveloping him. "How?"

"Well… a good deal of the half that haven't been accounted for are probably in one of the three resistance pockets in the northern and eastern sectors of the village, where the greatest portion of the original attack force entered. We've maintained radio contact with them through the secret channels, and they say they've set up slightly stable perimeters."

"What are their positions?"

Ryotaro gestured to three roughly drawn circles on the map, spread in an arc from the extreme north of the village to the east-north-east. "Here, here, and here."

Takashi regarded the map for a moment; there was hope, but not much as far as he could see. They were alive, but how long could they maintain it unless the main force broke through to rescue them?

"What's the feasibility of a rescue mission?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. Any team we send a significant distance outside of the perimeter would be cut off from support almost instantly; there's too many of them for us to provide sufficient cover."

"And how many men do we have within the safe zone?"

"Not counting casualties, a few hundred."

"How many more do we have in the infirmary?"

"About a hundred and fifty."

Takashi cracked his knuckles, a nervous habit of his. "I can _not _call a retreat with so many of my people trapped by the enemy. And don't give me that look, Ryotaro-kun, if it will save my people, I will sound the retreat without hesitation. And besides, if we could just lure them into the woods, we could cut them down. But I can't do that until I've either rescued our trapped people or seen them cut down before us."

"Well, why not take pressure off of them?"

The two older shinobi regarded Naruto curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if they're surrounded, and you can't force your way through to them, than the obvious answer is that you need to force them to redeploy."

Ryotaro snorted derisively. "No shit?"

"Yeah no shit. It's simple strategy, but effective."

"And how are we supposed to do that? I've already given you a summary of our forces; we don't have the men assembled to counter attack _and _maintain our position."

"Like I said, it's simple; you've got to flank them."

"Have you been listening to a word I've said? We don't have the people to pull off that kind of maneuver."

"You don't need that many people. With the right planning and the right support, I should be able to pull it off with just my remaining." He winced slightly at the word 'remaining', not at all comfortable reducing his men to statistics, but continued regardless. "Leaf shinobi, if you'll support me with twenty of your archers and a few melee fighters."

Ryotaro was skeptical, as always. "And how do you plan to do that."

"Simple. There's three parts to this plan; one, attack when the enemy is most vulnerable. That should be around early morning, between three and five. Two, inflict as much early damage as possible using the element of surprise, and make it appear as though there are more of you than there really are." He grinned, exposing subtley lengthened canines. "I'm something of a specialist in that department. That should cause your enemy to overreact to the attack, pulling forces from the attack to cover their flank. That'll be your window to commence the rescue operation. And finally, we need to keep the enemy engaged long enough for you to complete your rescue operation."

Takashi was pleasantly surprised; it was a good plan, especially coming from someone he had pegged as a little too headstrong for his own good. Maybe the kid did have what it took to lead his village…

"An excellent, plan, Naruto-kun, but do you have the details hammered out?"

"Depends, can you pay attention for a few minutes?"

"Of course."

With the reassurance of the Oyabun fueling his confidence, Naruto launched into a detailed explanation of his counterattack, even as the battle raged on outside.

* * *

Sasuke stretched, trying to work the kinks out of the muscles of his shoulder in his back. He had spent worse nights in prison, but that didn't make this one any more pleasant. He turned towards his companion; the idiot was still asleep. He walked toward the still form, his slightly aching body putting him in something of an asshole mood. He wound up his left foot for a swift kick to the ribs; it was one of those gestures common among guys who never really grew up, to try and cause as much physical pain to ones friends as possible without causing lasting injury. 

Sai reached up and caught his foot just before it connected with the kid's solar plexus.

"So, you are awake."

"Not until a moment ago, Homo-san. But you should know ANBU are light sleepers."

"Heh. Fair enough. So, when do you think Ittoue will call for us?"

"He said a night or two. In my experience, that means we'll be here at least two nights."

Sasuke heard the distinct noise of quiet footsteps approaching their cell from down the hall. "How much would you like to bet on that?"

"Nothing, Homo-san."

In just a half a minute, Sasuke's suspicion was proven correct when the jailor they had seen the night before appeared before their cell. "The Oyabun will see you now."

As they were let out of their cell, Sasuke briefly considered knocking the hapless jailor out just to show Ittoue that he was less than pleased. But he suppressed the impulse, knowing that it would no doubt lead to complications in the already deplorable 'negotiations' process.

Sasuke couldn't help but stare as he and Sai were escorted through the village; this was not what he had been expecting when he heard that it was a village of former missing-nin. Sure, the place was a bit rough around the edges, and some of it's members, not to mention it's leader, were scary as hell. But that image of the small child and his mother from the night before weren't just a fluke; the people here were genuinely happy. The place abounded with families, simple civilian men going to and from work, and other scenes that would have looked perfectly in character for a place like Konoha, or even an average civilian village. And it certainly looked nothing like the Sound; that place was more of a prison for the innocent than anything else, at least when Orochimaru ran it. He hadn't heard much from it since.

It took them twenty minutes to navigate the crowded village at walking speed. When they finally reached the tower of the Oyabun, and was summarily ushered into Ittoue's office, he found a sight that both pleased and disturbed him. It disturbed him because Momochi Ittoue looked terrifying on a bad night's sleep; his hair was everywhere and the dark circles under his eyes complimented his otherwise dark look perfectly. In short, he looked like he was about to murder someone.

But the upside to this was that if he had been up all night than he had probably been thinking, and Sasuke was confident he could guess what had caused Ittoue to lose sleep.

"You look nice this morning."

"If you're too much of an insufferable smartass I have no problem sending you back to jail."

"Jeez, just trying to lighten the mood with a little humor."

Ittoue sighed. "Uchiha… do you know why I founded this village?"

Sasuke shook his head. Honestly, the thing was an anomaly to him. He honestly couldn't say he met many missing-nin that he had a high opinion of, aside from himself. Of course, his acquaintances were some of the worst examples of the bunch.

_"Might as well just roll with the conversation and see where he takes it. His face and his eyes look torn, like he's plagued with indecision; he's vulnerable now."_

"Why?"

Ittoue took a sip of his tea, trying to calm his nerves, before beginning. "Are you aware of why ninety percent of missing-nin leave their villages in the first place?"

"Because they committed a crime?"

Ittoue snorted. "Common ignorance. In truth, very few missing-nin are on the run because of some crime they committed against their village. The vast majority of them leave for much more humble reasons; political disagreements, to pursue a dream, hell, some just can't take the psychological strain of being a killer for hire anymore. And that…is why this village exists. Is it so wrong to follow a dream, or to disagree? These are questions that plagued me constantly in my time with the Hidden Mist, only more so after my brother's defection." He paused a moment, reflecting on his deceased brother. "When I heard he had died, I didn't know how to feel. Should I feel sad? Should I be proud that he died the way he did? And then, I had a revelation."

Sasuke was totally engaged at this point; this was his story, told by hundreds of different voices. People leaving their village to pursue an ambition. Certainly, he could understand that.

"And that was?"

"I realized that, regardless of how he died, he lived following his dream, wherever it took him; even though in the end he couldn't accomplish that dream, I heard that he died smiling. And I realized then, that was how I wanted to live my life. I was tired of wasting away as a slave of the Mist; a slave to their misguided ambition and their foolish traditions. And it was then also, that my dream crystallized in a way it never had before; I realized what it was that I wanted to do. In short, I wanted to create a community of Shinobi where dreams and the individuals who pursued them were not subservient to the goals and will of some tyrannical Kage." He had to pause for breath before continuing.

"Most people thought I was an idiot. 'A village is a military organization, not some peace-commune'. But I told them where they could put their criticism sideways and forged ahead anyway. After years of toil and blood, I was able to make this village. And it _works, _Uchiha. The Shinobi here are free to come and go as they please, and, as long as they complete a modest requisite of missions per year, are more or less free to accept or refuse whatever assignments they want. People said it couldn't work, but this is one of the fastest growing and most profitable villages on the continent. The men here have the utmost loyalty, because I gave them a home when they had nothing. Most of them double their requisite yearly mission count, out of shear loyalty and enthusiasm for the village. They said that missing-nin couldn't be trusted, but you'd be surprised what a little hospitality can do to the vast majority of so called 'criminals'. Hell, most of them didn't commit a real transgression till they were forced to by the circumstances of being a missing-nin; one can't help getting a little rough around the edges with that kind of lifestyle. And of course, I'm well aware that there are quite a few more dangerous individuals among the missing-nin population, those who can't be cured by a sunny disposition. But you know what? We have Bingo books too, and I won't let anyone with that kind of record near my village. I proved them wrong, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke couldn't see, but he was sure the elder Shinobi was smiling beneath his mask as he spoke his next words. "It is my dream come true, Uchiha-san. And I would give my life to keep it from fading into nothing more than the good idea it once was."

"And neither do we. That's the whole point of this alliance, Momochi-sama; mutual protection. So why are you so adamant about remaining alone in this coming crisis?" Now he really was curious. If it was a matter of pride that was one thing, but Ittoue had already proven himself above such petty feelings when it came to protecting his village.

"How many shinobi do you think we have, Uchiha-san? If I called back everyone who's on foreign assignment or who owes me a favor, I could get a little over a thousand shinobi. Impressive body count for one battle, maybe, but how long do you think it would take for that number to be whittled down to eight hundred on foreign borders? What about five hundred? What's going to happen when the mist sees my weakness and launches a full scale attack on this village, and I only have three hundred men who haven't been massacred on foreign fronts? If this war is anything like the last three, what do you think is the likeliness of that scenario? I'll tell you that as far as I'm concerned, it's not even a likelihood; it's a certainty. An alliance is a two way street, and there's no way we won't be asked to fight these battles. So I ask you, Sasuke-kun, is it better to send my men to die on foreign fronts, away from the homes and families they've built here, or try and tough it out here, on our own?"

Honestly, Sasuke didn't have an answer. Which was better? Frankly, both options sucked. "…I can't answer that, Momochi-sama. But …"

He was cut short as Sai entered the room. A pair of Wave ANBU followed closely behind him. "Momochi-Sama!"

Sasuke twitched. He wasn't a huge fan of being interrupted.

"What? I assume there's a good reason for this?"

Sai spoke first. "Ahh, Momochi-sama, there appears to be an incident occurring in the village."

His dark eyes narrowed. "What kind of incident? Where? Who?"

"Well it's the violent kind of incident, which is why we felt it deserved your attention. Where, he appeared at the base of your tower here a few minutes ago, and is busy working his way up. Several ANBU have fallen to his advance. As for who…" He glanced sidelong at Sasuke "If I'm not mistaken, I believe it's a man dressed in the garb of the Akatsuki."

Sasuke felt like punching something. It seemed he couldn't do anything without the Akatsuki trying like hell to screw it up. He ran out the door after the Oyabun, anxious to confront this new enemy, though a little apprehensive.

It was, after all, Akatsuki.

* * *

A/N: Ever have one of those weeks where god seems to be trying to keep you from doing whatever it is you're trying to do? Anyway, it was hard finding time to sit down and slam out major sections of this chapter this week. Thank god next week is a light one. On top of that, I couldn't log in to FF for a good twenty four hours. The servers here are second only to in terms of unreliability. 

Now here's an interesting question for you dedicated manga readers; is it canon for a character to know more than two kinds of elemental jutsu? The manga says that most jounin know at least two, then goes on to explain how they can know more, but only talks about combination elements like ice and wood. It left me with an overall unclear picture of the business.

As always, feedback is welcome, but especially so for this chapter. It was the first one I wrote over the course of several shorter sessions rather than a few long ones, and I'm worried about the flow.

Peace. Expect the next chapter either Thursday or Sunday (too tired to explain that disparity.)

Edit: Emergency minor edit, because I was being stupid and accidentally gave a gender to an as yet unintroduced character, causing people to read it like Sasuke was in Akatsuki.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Karin would have been introduced in chapter 2.**

Chapter 7

It was a dark corner of the fourth weapon's storage warehouse that had been cleared of debris to make room for the makeshift infirmary where Sakura now treated the wounded of both Konoha and Shida. The place was packed to overflowing; the less critically injured had to stand as they waited, some for hours into that night, for whatever treatment the medics of Fern and Sakura could offer them.

Sakura was astounded; well trained as she was, her medical career had developed in a mostly peaceful setting. She had never seen so much carnage in a single room in her entire life. Here were injuries that spanned the spectrum from merely painful to life threatening; everything she had ever learned under the most talented medic-nin in the world was put to the test. Lacerations, severe burns, hemorrhaging, internal poisoning, concussions, broken bones and twisted joints; every kind of combat injury imaginable was packed into a pathetically small corner of this warehouse.

And presiding over it all was a woman Sakura had, in short order, come to respect, fear, and loathe all at once. Respected, because she was a first class medic; she was knowledgeable, skilled, and always thinking about the patient. As for feared and loathed… well, the short version is that she was a real bitch. This had been ingrained into Sakura from their first meeting.

It had taken her a few minutes from turning her back on a disturbingly distant Naruto to actually finding the temporary infirmary. The warehouse had become a maze of smaller side rooms and barracks, separated by empty or half-full boxes of kunai, shuriken, and arrows. When she finally found it, (conveniently located, she noted, as far from any entrance as could be contrived; _"Why do they never put medic-nin in charge of these things?"_) and after she had gotten over the shock of just how _packed _the place was, she made it her business to find the head medic. It turned out not to be such a difficult task.

Obviously, the acting head medic wouldn't be one of the myriad patients stuffed into the undersized complex. And while it might be one of the many green clad Shida-nin who were tending to the various wounded, it was generally more common for a head medic to delegate those duties out to subordinates. This left, in Sakura's mind, just one person who could be the head medic-nin.

She was dressed like any of the other Shida medics in the place, with the exception of a small sash, one that appeared, based on the Kanji emblazoned across the front, to be reserved for some elite order of the Hidden Fern village. In appearance, it was not unlike the one Asuma had worn.

The woman wearing the sash, however, was anything but normal looking. Vaguely, Sakura was reminded of Chiyo. However, the lines on her face were not nearly as deeply etched as Chiyo's had been, and she moved with a greater energy and purpose (which was saying something, considering how much the ancient puppeteer had had before her death). She rushed from table to table, barking instructions to the medics in the general vicinity. She was quick, and she was exacting; a fact which comforted Sakura, who saw it as the mark of a true medical professional. She waited for a slight lull in the action to introduce herself, knowing that interrupting the older woman's instructions would likely piss her off. She knew it did her.

She saw her break as the old lady finished showing an apprentice medic-nin how properly to administer a blood replenishment tablet to an unconscious patient.

"Good day, Oba-sama. I am Haruno Sakura, medic-nin of the Hidden Leaf Village, and I am here to help in whatever way I can."

The old lady looked at her dubiously. "My name is Yokoyama Chisa, and may I ask what the hell is wrong with your hair?"

It took a modest amount of self control not to smack the woman then and there. Honestly, was this really the time for such a frivolous question?

"Um, it's my natural color?"

The look in Chisa's eyes told Sakura what she thought about it; mainly, that she was full of shit.

"Are you a talented medic-nin, or just a medic-nin?"

"Tsunade-sama of the Hidden Leaf was my teacher. I assume you've heard of her?" The last part came out a little snide, and not by accident. For one, she had a right to be proud; the greatest medic-nin in the world didn't pick just anyone to be their student. And on another note, she had said it just to piss off the older woman, a game that Chisa was winning thus far.

"A great teacher can't do much with an idiot student. I didn't ask you who your teacher was, ya' little hair dyin' tart, I asked you if you knew the business?"

It was at this point that Sakura began dipping into an interesting portion of her medic-nin training; her self control training. For you see, a medic-nin finds themselves in the unique situation of having to be able to work with any kind of patient and any kind colleagues, regardless of the situation. They have to be able to work with asshole superiors, like the one currently engaging Sakura, and with patients who are either uncooperative, panicking like children, and occasionally, either by accident or design, completely inebriated. Tsuande had taught her long ago to learn when and how to resist the urge to get violent in the operating room.

And it was taking every ounce of that training to keep her from decking the woman in front of her.

She breathed deeply. _"You're a medical professional, and you have a job to do."_

She had to repeat the mantra several times before she was sufficiently calmed down to address the woman.

She began slowly. "I assure you, Chisa-sama, that I have enough real field-experience to handle _any _injury that we'll find in here. And it would appear that you really don't have the manpower to question my credentials. So why don't you just take my word and let a professional do her job?"

The older ninja smiled wryly at her. So, the tart had a little self control? It had always been a nasty habit of Chisa's to test the patience of her subordinates; after all, if they couldn't handle the pressure of a little taunting and verbal abuse, how could they be expected to handle the pressure of major surgery?

"Do you know the procedure for removing shrapnel, girl?"

"Hai."

A look of relief spread across her face at the simple response.

"Excellent. If you'll come with me then, I have work for you."

* * *

It was hours later; how many, Sakura couldn't guess. But she knew one thing beyond doubt. She was totally and utterly exhausted. Removing shrapnel was an exacting and painstaking job, and she had to do it four different times that evening. Between that and all the other care she had had to administer, it had been a hectic evening. It had been made slightly easier when Chisa had seen her skills firsthand and begun treating her with a little respect, but it still struck her how downright abrasive the woman couldn't help but be. 

She was about to turn in, and as a matter of fact needed to if she wanted any chance of not feeling like shit tomorrow, when what was becoming an increasingly familiar sight caught her eye.

It was Naruto, staring off into space and overall behaving in a much more subdued manner than she ever would have thought possible five years ago. He was reclined against one of the empty weapon's crates that littered the warehouse, staring out a small skylight to the night sky above. Were they not in the middle of a siege, he might have gone up onto the roof. Sakura also noted, though briefly, that it was a terrible idea for any building of great import in a ninja village to have skylights, even in the name of energy conservation. It was practically an invitation for sabotage.

She made her way over to him, sighing as she did so.

_"Is it just me, or is he doing this _knowing _that I'm going to go over there and talk to him? I never can tell if he's being oblivious or clever."_

"Naruto?"

He blinked up at her, mildly startled at the interruption of his thoughts, but nonetheless pleased as always to see his pink haired friend.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan." His voice was quiet; not sad, just soft, as though he was afraid to disturb the silence of the late evening. He made the best inviting gesture he knew how to, urging his friend and teammate to take a seat next to him. She did so, plopping down somewhat ungracefully onto the cool concrete next to him.

"What's up?"

"Neh, just thinking."

"Ahh, I think I'm having Deja-vu. Nervous about tomorrow?"

"No. My plan is fool proof."

Sakura was a little surprised at the response. What had happened to his shaky confidence from just the night before? "You seem awfully sure of yourself."

"Eh, I wouldn't be so much if the Oyabun didn't say it was a damn good plan. I trust his judgment more than my own."

"Ahh. So then, what _were _you thinking about?"

"Neh, just some random crap. It's not really important."

"Non-important random crap doesn't generally keep one up this late. So what's really going on?"

Naruto huffed, indignant that she had figured him out once again. All he wanted was to save her the trouble of a long and emotional discussion about his many insecurities, after all. "You can be really bothersome, you know that?"

She smiled. "It's what best friends are for. So are you going to talk to me, or no?"

"Eh." It took him a moment to gather his thoughts; he wanted to put this right the first time. "Sakura-chan, are you afraid of death. Not in the normal, vague way like how all people are afraid of death, I mean do you ever wake up at night in a cold sweat, having just had a terrible nightmare about your own death?"

"Er, I can't say that I have. When the hell did you become so morbid, anyway?"

"Eh, don't think I'm a coward for saying this; I'd give my life for Konoha, you know that. It's just that… I have so much yet to accomplish. I just don't want to die before I make those dreams of mine real…"

Sakura stared hard at her friend; she suspected there was a little more that he wasn't telling her, but she had already pushed him hard enough just to admit this much.

"Well, I suppose it is more of a problem for those with so much ambition… I mean, look at Orochimaru. His ultimate ambition turned him into a paranoid necrophobic."

"Necrophobic?"

"Someone with an irrational fear of death. Something you'll become, if you dwell on this too much."

An instinctive shudder ran up Naruto's spine at the thought of being anything like the slimy bastard, who hopefully was six feet under and staying there.

"But as for me, I suppose I don't have many big dreams left to attain, so it doesn't bother me as much as it does someone with your kind of ambition. I mean, I don't look forward to it, but I'm sure as hell not dwelling on it the way you do."

Naruto took a little comfort in her words, as he always did. But of all the words she spoke, he latched on to one statement in particular.

"'Don't have _many _big dreams? I'm curious, what big ones are left?" There was a sly edge to his voice, as though he was implying that he knew something she didn't want him to know (Which, truthfully, wasn't very far off the mark).

She blushed the most subtle shade of pink. He had guessed more than she wanted him to. "Well, I suppose I'd like to get married and start a family one day; doesn't every girl want that?"

"Not Anko-chan."

"She hardly counts."

"Fair enough. So, is settling down just code for 'I want to mate with Sasuke-kun'?" The question was precisely calculated to irritate her, and it worked. He had to be quick to dodge the half-friendly half-angry slap that came straight for his face in a split second.

_"Good thing I took Kakashi-sensei's recommendation and started that speed training regimen all those years ago."_

"Naruto, you _know _I'm over that! So _stop _bringing it up."

Briefly, he considered arguing that if she was over it it wouldn't bother her so much, but decided that, as far as that particular subject went, he had pushed the envelope of teasing enough for now. But he wouldn't let a simple thing like courtesy stop him.

"Ok, gomen, jeesh. So, who does Haruno-san have her eye on?"

Being a guy, he secretly was entertaining fantasies that she would blush crimson and say something like "It's you Naruto, it always has been!" and then they would go find some quiet place to consummate their love. Of course, Naruto was at least somewhat more realistic than he had been as a child, and knew that such a scenario was highly unlikely.

She did, however, blush a little deeper as she spoke. "Don't be an idiot, Naruto. It's not that simple. You don't just pick a guy like you're trying on clothes."

Naruto tried to hide the grin on his face. It wasn't easy to embarrass Sakura, but it was obvious that he had hit a sensitive spot. So, in true Naruto fashion, he decided to push a little further. "Oh, come on. At least tell me who in our age group is good boyfriend material. Off the top in your head, just from what you know about them."

She considered it a moment, too intrigued by the idea to be embarrassed anymore. It wasn't as though she hadn't given it at least a little prior thought, either. "I suppose Shino's nice. And cute, in his own way."

Naruto was glad he was sitting. He was sure he'd have lost his footing if he'd heard that standing up. "Shino! Seriously? You do know about his clan's…technique, right?"

"Of course I do. So what?"

"…It's damn creepy, that's what. I've got nothing against the guy it's just… damn, it'd take me a while to come up with something less sexy than that."

"Well, that's what makes you a guy. I pride myself on being less superficial than that."

"I think you're just a creepy pervert."

_"__Naruto." _Her voice had a half playful, half dangerous tone that made the blond ninja, who had been enjoying himself thoroughly, shiver just a bit.

Sakura sighed. "You aren't going to be happy with _anyone _I pick will you." A thought crossed her mind at that instant, a devious one. Of course, why not force him on the defensive. She mustered her best cute face before speaking again. "But of course, you're just trying to defend my honor, aren't you? Because secretly, you want me all to yourself…"

_"SHIT!" _It took all of Naruto's self control not to swear out loud. He had toyed with her too long, and now he was about to get burned if he didn't take the utmost care to keep from _looking _like he was about to get burned.

_"Keep cool. Act casual. Don't talk to fast; it will look like you're covering something up." _He mustered the most nonchalant face he could.

"What would make you think that?" He was trying his damndest to sound disinterested but mildly inquisitive.

"Well, I don't have enough hands to count the times you've asked me out or tried to make a move on me."

Naruto's relief was almost audible. So she was just playing around. Thank god she would never know how close to the mark she had really been. "I was thirteen, that hardly counts."

"Well, there was that one time when you had just come back from your training vacation with Jiraiya-sama."

"And you accepted, and I never bothered you about it again, did I?"

That response was getting borderline defensive, but he was sure now that she wasn't suspecting what he'd dreaded her suspecting.

Of course, he had tried many times to ask her on a date without making it look like he was asking her on a date (the most recent being the day before the mission), but that plan tended to fall through when she would invariably say "Ok, but just as _friends_." and he would usually say something offensive to cover himself. Most of these forays into the world of colleague dating left him with nothing to show but a slap on the face for his cheekiness and a much thinner wallet than he had begun the evening with.

Sakura's voice roused him from his thoughts."Ok, you got me, I was just trying to ruffle your feathers a bit, but you barely budged. Jeez, you're no fun anymore." Of course, she couldn't know that she'd almost given him a heart attack. "So, who _have _you entertained romantic thoughts about?"

"Neh, Hinata-chan's cute, I guess. Tenten's hot too."

"Wow, you've thought deeply about this, haven't you?"

He grinned. Of course, he hadn't thought much about other girls for several years, but he couldn't say that. "As much as any other guy. Why are you complaining, anyway? You asked the question."

Sakura giggled, stifling a yawn as she did. She couldn't dispute his logic, try as she might. "True enough. Anyway, you've kept me up, jerk." She stood as she spoke, trying to stretch her limbs back to life long enough to crawl to her makeshift bed.

Naruto waved his hands in front of his face, as if trying to ward off the accusation. "Hey, don't miss sleep on my account. If you're tired, by all means go to sleep, Haruno-san!" His voice held the slightest edge of a mocking tone, especially with the polite honorific taken into account. But it was a sweet, playful kind of mocking, and she found that she was too tired to take the bait.

"Goodnight, goof." She turned from where she had been standing and, with a wave over her shoulder, left him sitting where she had found him. She paused just a moment though, as a thought occurred to her.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai, Sakura-chan?"

"When we started talking you mentioned something about dreams… what were you dreaming about? It must have been terrible to keep you up this late."

"Hai, it was. I won't bother you with the details, it was kinda' gory. But… you were in it."

She looked curiously at him. "Really? What was I doing?"

"Crying."

"Oh… that sucks."

"Neh, don't worry about it. It was just a dream."

She sighed, something that was in itself getting exhausting that evening. Turning away and towards her distant bed once more, she spoke her final greeting. "Good night again, Naruto-kun, and for God's sake, stop making me worry about you."

"Neh, I'll try Sakura-chan." Almost inaudibly, he added. "Goodnight."

Once again, he was left alone with his thoughts and the darkness. Alone, where he could feel an uneasy feeling creep from out of his gut to the rest of his body.

After a few more minutes of staring and thinking, he found that, after having the one object of real interest in the room removed, he too was tired. Getting up from where he sat, he stumbled off into the darkness, crashing into the first empty cot he came to in order to get the few hours of rest he could before the attack commenced.

Had he been one to put much stock in omens, he would have found it much more difficult to fall asleep that night.

* * *

Sasuke's heart was racing nearly as fast as he was as he was as he made his way down the twisting spiral stair of the Oyabun's tower. Akatsuki? He could handle them; it had taken him years, but he had finally surpassed his cursed seal level of strength from three years ago _without _activating the seal; if he could give Itachi a run for his money then, even with the curse seal suppression jutsu, than he could probably stand even with an Akatsuki member now. The question was, which one was it? 

Of course, the first person on his mind was Itachi. Could he stand up to him? He could probably manage to at least break even against his bastard older brother; maybe even get him to retreat (as he invariably did when events began to turn against him). He had spent long hours training against Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan, so he at lest knew how to fight that.

_"Damn Kakashi. You could have saved everyone a lot of trouble by telling me about that eight years ago."_

For some reason, thinking about his once and current sensei's Mangekyo Sharingan left a bitter taste in his mouth. Of course, had he known when he was thirteen that Kakashi knew a path to obtaining the Mangekyo, the ultimate weapon of an Uchiha and the only other thing that has a real chance of standing up to another Mangekyo Sharingan, there would have been no _good _reason for him to leave Konoha in the first place. The old pervert's secrecy could be _really _bothersome sometimes. And that was another thing? Why did all the good senseis have to be so damn _creepy_?

_"Oh well, that's not important. The Mangekyo _will _be mine soon, regardless of whether or not I kill Itachi here."_

He continued, his resolve somewhat strengthened by the thought of facing Itachi once more. He put on a burst of speed to try and catch up to Ittoue. It wouldn't be good for him if the fool ran right into a booby trap; which is almost what happened.

When Momochi Ittoue first heard that someone was attacking his village, he had become single-mindedly obsessed with one idea; cut the piece of shit in half. However, a good ninja never allows tunnel vision to overtake them completely, which is what saved him. The small clay spider was hardly noticeable, half hidden in the shadow of a doorway.

Momochi Ittoue's ninja training taught him, above all, to develop an instinctive fear for that which was out of place, and, innocent as the model looked, it was most certainly out of place. He leapt back just a split second before the object in question exploded, creating a shockwave that shook the tower to its roots.

_"One day, I'm going to have to thank Kisame-sensei."_

Sasuke, with his advanced Sharingan, had also caught the small, out of place figurine before it exploded. He had about as good a working knowledge of Akatsuki as anyone, and could think of only one with such an _odd _fighting style. He stopped in mid run, an impressive feat for someone bolting down a twisting stair, and looked into the sky, searching for any indication of the assailant in question. With his abilities, he could be _anywhere._

It was his Sharingan eyes that, like so many times before, saved him from an unlucky and untimely death. As he swiveled his head around, he turned to see a small, strange looking figure rocketing towards him. Without hesitating, he leapt forward and grabbed the gutter of the eave of the roof above, swinging himself up and onto the roof as he backpedaled to get away from the blast, which might well drive a plank through the thinner, lower part of the roof. His red eyes narrowed maliciously as his opponent came into view. He was hovering in midair, riding atop what appeared to be a badly malformed buzzard, with a trunk-like beak and no feathers, and was wearing a shit-eating grin that made Sasuke wish he knew Neji's Eight Trigram's Empty Palm technique, just so he could bitch slap him from his perch on the roof.

Physically, he was short, almost like Itachi. And at first glance, it would have been difficult to tell if he was indeed a he at all, for his hair was long and done up in a somewhat feminine pony-tail, and the Akatsuki robe obscured any possibly revealing body traits. But, if one heard him speak, or knew the Akatsuki as well as Sasuke did, his identity was clear.

"Deidara-san, you're really too troublesome. Is there a _good _reason for you to be here?"

Even though he was safe for the moment, his nerves were on a knife's edge. He didn't even have time to be disappointed in not seeing Itachi before him. Seeing as how his main goal in life was to kill one of the strongest of the Akatsuki, he had made it a point, both while in the Sound and back at Leaf, to research as much as he could about them; their members, their methods, their goals, all of it. There wasn't a whole lot of information to be uncovered, as they hid their tracks well, he had made a few choice discoveries. And one of the things he had learned was that it was almost unheard of for them to work alone; so where was his partner?

Deidara continued with his grinning. "Those eyes; you must be Itachi's little brother. The _infamous _Uchiha Sasuke. Still chasing after aniki-san are we?"

Sasuke kept his face blank, even though his urge to smack the she-male was stronger than ever. "That's not an answer to my question."

"Well, I was sent here to assassinate Momochi Ittoue, in case I hadn't made it exceedingly obvious. As you're not him, and you really can't do much against my little sculpture here, I think I'll leave you on that rooftop." He made a subtle gesture with his head, causing the massive bird golem to turn completely in midair. "Now then, where is the little bastard?"

The answer to his question came in a manner he'd rather have avoided, had he the choice.

After having narrowly avoided the exploding spider, he leapt over the railing, making a pinball's path to the ground as he hopped from wall to wall, a technique that staggered his descent and kept him from breaking his legs. Once there, it didn't take him long to spot the village's assailant, and only took him a split second more to see that the Akatsuki member was currently occupied with Sasuke, and vulnerable to attack.

_"Firs thing's first; I've got to get him off of that… mutant… bird? Whatever, but I can't fight him while he has such an advantage."_

He decided on a technique his brother had perfected years before, something not even Kisame-sensei had been able to master. He pumped as much chakra as he could into his arms and leapt up. Considered the angle of trajectory, he would need a little air in order to clear this throw. As he leapt he began to twist his torso back, winding up for what would have to be a master throw. Just before he reached the peak of his jump, he grabbed his zanbato, unwinding and flinging it high into the air. It collided with Deidara's flying sculpture, severing the thing neatly in two near its lateral line of symmetry, dropping the stunned missing-nin into thin air.

Of course, Deidara, being a first class ninja in most respects, was prepared for the unexpected, and managed to use a slower-burning version of his explosive clay to push him over a nearby rooftop, where he landed lightly on his feet.

_"So I'm safe, yeah, but this is still pretty bad for me… Maybe this strategy of Tobi's wasn't the best after all. And what the fuck is with this Uchiha… damit, I definitely did _not _plan for a Shinobi of his caliber getting in the way. Still, I can pull this off I think, yeah…"_

Of course, the Uchiha in question was off like a shot when he saw the disadvantage Deidara was at. If he could just get into close combat, he couldn't use that exploding clay of his, and Sasuke could use his superior taijutsu to overpower him.

He had leapt to the street, using much the same method as Ittoue had, and had begun his ascent to the rooftops where Deidara perched when a brace of kunai stopped in his tracks. He turned, wondering why the hell the man would keep him from engaging the enemy.

"It's my village, and my responsibility. Don't interfere; unless I'm about to die. Then, feel free to save my ass."

Sasuke gave a sharp nod, leaping up onto a fire escape balcony that jutted from a wall on the opposite side of the street, a place where he was far enough away to observe safely but close enough to, with his speed, interfere in a timely manner.

_"Of course." _He thought, forming a hand seal. _"It's always good to have a contingency plan." _He smiled, noting that Deidara was too engaged to have noticed his subtle little jutsu.

Sai landed next to him just then. He stared hard at his mysterious partner; his habit of disappearing was getting annoying, something he decided to let the other shinobi in on. "You know, you find the most convenient times to disappear."

"Now, Homo-san, I wasn't running away; I went to notify the ANBU that there was a serious threat in the village, and they may find it wise to evacuate the village. Plus, I went to notify the medic squad that there were wounded men at the Oyabun's tower."

"All that in five minutes? How did you pull that off?" Sasuke was impressed. Even he or Lee would have trouble managing that.

"I have my ways." Of course, it wasn't wise for a ninja, especially an ANBU, to reveal all their secrets, even to an ally.

Sasuke just shook his head and sighed. The kid had a way of getting on his nerves that only Naruto could rival.

"Well, this should be interesting."

* * *

Momochi Ittoue moved quickly to wrench his blade from the ground it had embedded itself in; he would need to have it handy to fight Deidara. With a sharp tug, he pulled it from the earth and turned to face his attacker. 

"So…" He began. "What the hell does Akatsuki want with me? Is this the punishment for refusing an offer of membership?"

Deidara leapt down to the ground to face him.

_"So the idiot's going to take it easy on me? My lucky fuckin day, yeah…"_

Discreetly as he could, he had slipped a palm into his pack as he jumped down, creating a very special clay figurine he had been developing. He suppressed a chuckle as he landed, making sure to land on all fours so he could slip his little masterpieces into the earth beneath him without alerting the enemy; this new jutsu, he had decided a while ago, was one of his favorite works.

"Yeah… I mean, well, kind of, yeah. You see, Akatsuki keeps tabs on most of the powerful unaligned shinobi of this continent. If they're of no use to us, we assassinate them. By refusing our offer of membership, you placed yourself in the 'useless' category. Congratulations." He stuck his hands in his pouch, gathering lumps of his special clay. There was more than one way to end this in his favor, and he had about three or four in mind.

"Unaligned? How does my allegiance to this village not count me as 'aligned'? If I recall, that was the primary reason for my refusal."

"Ha. This village isn't even recognized by half of the others. Most of your men aren't taken off of the missing-nin lists in their home villages. As far as we're concerned, you're a free agent."

"Humph. Well then, if you're gonna' be this way about it… why stand around?" Ittoue grinned. This was his favorite part.

The morning mist had been a light haze seconds before, even as the new rising sun began to burn it off into the upper atmosphere. But, in what felt like an instant dragged out through hours, Deidara found himself surrounded by a thick, obscuring mist, such that he could barely see his hand six inches in front of his face.

"Oh my." This was something of a surprise. He had experienced this jutsu in his occasional sparring with Kisame, but when he did it took much longer to fully envelope an area, and it _never _got this thick.

Ittoue spoke, using some technique that made it sound as though his voice came from everywhere. "Surprised? I'm much better at this technique than my brother or Kisame-sensei ever was; that, and the air here has a naturally higher moisture content."

Deidara wasn't overly concerned; after all, he had made several upgrades to the small camera he wore over his left eye, and this would be the perfect opportunity to test out his latest. Pressing a small button on its side, the item immediately switched from the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum the human eye can see to one represented by a prismatic splotch of differing colors; this new infrared stuff was good, in his own humble opinion.

And it wound up saving his ass. He turned just in time to see a moving body, the hot red and white splotches twisting and writhing in a way that would have been mesmerizing, if it hadn't been so urgent for him to get the hell out of the way.

Ittoue was irritated when he didn't feel the satisfyingly weak resistance of an exposed neck. To the best of his knowledge, only someone who trained extensively with this technique could develop the level of hearing necessary to react like that; so how had he done it?

"You know, you're not _supposed _to be able to do that. What kind of training have you been doing?" He made sure to use his little ventriloquism trick to keep from giving away his location.

"Heh, well, I guess I cheated, yeah. By the way, I can see you."

_"Kuso."_

Ittoue didn't really have time to think of anything more complicated as he heard a swarm of what heard like… bees? Wasps? Whatever they were, they were surrounding him and closing in fast. Almost as soon as Deidara had spoken he had begun to form the seals; his sensei had taught him, as one of his earliest lessons, to commit this jutsu to muscle memory. He was halfway through the sequence before he even realized what he was doing.

And once again, his Sensei's lessons saved him. The wasps, as they turned out to be, were a special jutsu Deidara had developed after his encounter with Kakashi; it was a special attack that he used against people fast enough to evade his normal bombs. Rather than send one large bomb, he sent multiple smaller ones that surrounded the opponent and ripped him to shreds. It was, as far as he was concerned, a brilliant work of art. But the bombs were individually weak, and completely unable to pierce the barrier of water Ittoue was able to raise around himself.

He smiled as he heard the satisfying sound of multiple detonations; it sounded something like a brace of new-years firecrackers going off, assuming one used quarter sticks of dynamite as opposed the minute children's toys that had fascinated Deidara as a child. But still, he was tense. The smoke had yet to clear, and he couldn't see, either with his normal vision or his infrared sensor, what had become of Ittoue. Nearly thirty seconds passed; he couldn't hear anything, which could be either good or bad. The technique often didn't kill outright, and the victim would usually be howling in pain. So, what was the deal?

He found out a moment later when a massive column of water, vaguely dragon shaped, shot out of the mist and barreled towards him. He barely had time to the side, and even that couldn't save him completely, as a stray leg from the animated creature clipped his side and sent him crashing into the side of a nearby building.

He staggered to his feet, utterly surprised. Water Jutsu? Without a nearby source? This guy was good; no wonder Kisame had recommended him. He was badly injured, even from the glancing blow. Had he taken it head on, he would have been smashed in an instant.

"_Thank god for advanced optics."_

Speaking of advanced optics, he noticed something in the corner of his eye; it was about five meters to Ittoue's left, and buried underground. His lips twitched, resisting the urge to smile. The plans he had lain at the beginning of this little engagement looked about ready to bloom into fruition. If he could just get him to move…

Ittoue was pissed as hell at the moment; had he been paying attention, he could have tuned into the direction of the crash, and followed up before Deidara could have done anything about it. But as it stood, he was completely unable to hear the other shinobi's movements. He was still, and he was tense, waiting for even the slightest hint of movement to reach him through the mist.

Deidara, quietly as he could, slipped his hand into the pouch of clay; absently, he noted that he was getting a bit low. Oh well, it didn't matter. This would be over soon enough; he took a bit in his hand, molding it into an old, familiar shape. His jutsu almost completed, he launched the bird towards Ittoue's right side.

The Oyabun, his ears sharpened through training and the rushing of his adrenaline, heard the projectile before it even connected. He had a split second decision to make, and, on a whim, he made a really poor one. Not that he could have _known _that it was a poor one, and he couldn't say what compelled him to dodge and roll left, coming up about five meters from where he had started, but in retrospect it wasn't one of his better ideas.

Deidara couldn't help laughing out loud this time, as he formed a hand seal and sent a mental command to his clay doll submerged in the earth.

Ittoue swore out loud as he felt a long, snakelike (and in fact, it was a model of a snake that Deidara had created.) tendril shoot out of the earth and wrap around his left leg.

"GAHH!" The subsequent explosion, while minute compared to what Deidara could produce, was enough to rip his left leg to shreds and send him crashing to the ground. He lost all focus, his mind echoing with the screams of pain coming from his leg.

It turned out that that pain inadvertently saved him. For as soon as his concentration wavered, the chakra that kept the unnatural mist thick and moist was cut off, and it dissipated enough for the two Leaf shinobi observing the fight to take action.

"Sai, get the Oyabun, would you?" Sasuke had a feeling that Ittoue wouldn't be terribly disappointed if he chose to interfere at this time.

Deidara was rushing at top speed; he didn't have time to make a bomb, a kunai would have to do to finish this guy off.

But he was stopped dead as Uchiha Sasuke's contingency plan went into action. Out of a side alley, a Sasuke clone came rushing at Deidara, much faster than he could ever hope to react. Chidori in hand, he shoved it through the Akatsuki's stomach, savoring the look of utter shock on Deidara's face; the ability to form clones stealthily was one Sasuke had worked years to perfect. It went with the territory of being the best. He ripped his hand to the side for good measure, abolishing what had once been Deidara's digestive and endocrine organs. He smirked as he noticed that Sai had managed to secure the Oyabun; this battle was over.

"The first rule of being a shinobi, Baka, is that it's not about how strong or fast you are, it's about stealth. Have fun in hell, Deidara."

The Akatsuki just laughed, something that ground Sasuke's nerves; it reminded him too much of his brother on that night.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Sasuke-kun." He managed to grunt out between coughs of blood. "But this is a clone… more precisely, it's a _perfect _clone, one the Akatsuki." He was interrupted as more blood spilled from his mouth onto the ground. "_cough _The Akatsuki has worked years to perfect. And I've added my own _cough _personal touches. Something that activates when the clone is killed." His grin was utterly evil and totally self satisfied, even as he continued to hemorrhage painfully. Something Sai noted with curiosity. What kind of clone bleeds so profusely?

Back on the balcony, the real Sasuke turned ghost pale. He remembered a story Kakashi had told him about this particular member of the Akatsuki.

_"SHIT!" _Had anyone been very nearby at the moment, he would swear that they could have heard his mental exclamation.

"SAI! TAKE MOMOCHI-SAMA AND RUN! THIS GUY IS GONNA TAKE OUT THE WHOLE FUCKING BLOCK!"

* * *

Naruto yawned. It was four thirty in the morning; three and a half hours since he'd crashed on the small cot in the lonely corner of the warehouse, thirty minutes since he'd woken up, and much too early to be fighting. On either side of him, Sakura and Konohamaru wore similar tired expressions. There was a general consensus of "It's really too early to be doing what we're doing." 

But the advantage of attacking at this time was obvious; tired as they were, they were at least awake and moving and had had some tea or coffee to shock their nervous system. The enemy would be tired and confused and, in some cases, asleep. The worst possible state to be attacked in. It was the perfect time for an ambush.

Naruto turned to Konohamaru, sitting on his right. "Does everyone know the plan?"

"Hai, ni-chan."

"Are you _sure_? Because it's really gonna' suck if you half-assed this one."

Konohamaru sighed. "Hai, ni-chan, everyone's awake and aware and ready. When are you going to start having some faith in me."

"When you stop screwing up. Send the word down the line; we move in five minutes."

Konohamaru and Sakura complied, sending silent word to the half dozen other Konoha-nin, as well as eight melee specialist Shida-nin, who in turn passed it on to the score of archers hiding in the trees behind him. They were spread out in a thicket near the northern edge of the village, well hidden in the night through careful use of physical camouflage. The advance had been a little slow for ninja, having to check and disarm any traps in their way, but it had still taken only about ten minutes. While the security was tight along most of their perimeter, it was weak on this portion. As far as Naruto could tell, it could only be that they weren't expecting the enemy to be able to send a significant attack force to this part of the line; not surrounded as they were. Still, it puzzled him. Leaving any kind of glaring weakness like this wasn't something expected of competent shinobi; were the Hidden Cloud this anxious to press the attack?

Of course, he didn't realize the truth; the truth was that, while the commander did indeed want to press the attack and end this quickly, rather than be cautious and give the enemy time to regroup, he honestly didn't care about the outcome of the assault. It wasn't what mattered. What mattered was the subsequent political firestorm of such open aggression.

He was tense; a lot more was riding on this mission than had been at conception. An extra objective had been added; to sneak past or neutralize the watch, and kill as many sleeping and otherwise unengaged shinobi as possible. This would, in theory, draw the defensive forces out of the front in order to cover the exposed flank, accomplishing the second objective of taking pressure off of the trapped Shinobi.

Discreetly as he could, he checked his watch. Three minutes till the assault commenced. He turned to see how Sakura was doing; as he suspected, she looked calm as ever. He nudged her a softly to get her attention. "Neh, aren't you nervous?"

"Iie."

Naruto looked puzzled. "Why not?"

"What's the point?"

He wrung that thought through his overly-stressed brain. She was right. There was no good reason to be worried. Slowly, he took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, trying to relax in the cool air that hung over the forest just before dawn.

He checked his watch again; for some reason, early as it was, his internal clock was flawless, and the watch ticked the five minute mark just as he looked down to read it. He lifted his hand slowly in a silent signal, and the line of shinobi quietly advanced into the camp, the archers following behind in the distance to provide support.

Five minutes later, they reached what appeared to be the perimeter of the enemy camp. Some of the trees had been cleared away to make a flat area that was difficult to advance across unnoticed. Naruto called Konohamaru to his side.

"Hai, ni-chan?"

"Do your stuff, Saru."

Without a word, Konohamaru activated his favorite family jutsu, and with a truly inhuman grace, even by shinobi standards, began to slink across the field to the sentries stationed at the edge. He would be responsible for taking out those on this western edge quietly; Shiro had promised to see to the ones on the east.

It took Konohamaru about five minutes to creep his way across the field unnoticed; as he went, he also checked for and disarmed any traps, creating a path for the rest of his team to follow as they came after him. The first guard was easy enough to down, as the idiot stood right next to a small shrub, apparently planted by the people of Hidden Fern to add to the floral feel of the village. Konohamaru had but to sneak around the back of the bush and break the man's neck before he knew what was happening. The next target, however, would prove more difficult. He was alert, and he was in the open. This would have posed a serious problem to anyone but a Sarutobi. He formed a few quick hand seals before sinking into the earth.

_"Doton: Underground Projection Fish Technique!"_

He made no sound as he emerged from the earth right behind his target; likewise, the man made no sound as Konohamaru used the same locking technique to break his neck as he had used on the first shinobi. Having completed his task and silently thanked his family history for the affinity for doton jutsu, he surveyed the line of the enemy camp; it was all clear. Quietly as he could, he spoke through the small radio transceiver he wore in his ear.

"All clear here, nichan."

It took a moment for the minute response to register in his ear. "Roger. We just got word that Shiro's taken out the east sentries. Hold your position, we'll come to you. Over."

A second later, Naruto spoke again, apparently having forgotten something.

"Oh yeah, and say over when you're done talking so I know you didn't get knifed mid-sentence. Over."

"Roger, ni-chan."

It didn't take long for the rest of the shinobi team to trace Konohamaru's path. Within two minutes, they were assembled on the edge of the enemy camp. Naruto checked one last time that Shiro was in place. Noting that everything was in order, he signaled the attack.

Early on, the attack was easy; almost too easy. While it was difficult to walk up on a Shinobi, even while sleeping, there were none better at it than the Shinobi of the hidden Leaf and Fern. Naruto was starting to feel almost disappointed as he sliced the throat of his seventh enemy; this was too easy. Of course, it was only a split second later that the trouble began.

It was Konohamaru who, unwittingly, alerted the whole camp to their presence. He was on his fourth enemy shinobi and was getting a little overconfident. Of course, the screw up was bound to happen sooner or later, and it wasn't poor Konohamaru's fault that he wound up being "that guy", but Naruto decided, looking back on it, that it was totally fitting for him.

_"This is too easy!" _He thought, as he approached his fourth victim. But of course, there's a technique to the silent killing method, assuming you don't want to alert the victim's comrades; if one doesn't slice deep enough and sever the vocal chords, than the target will sputter and choke for a few seconds before falling still. While it isn't much noise in the grand scheme of things, it's enough to wake a shinobi out of the deepest slumber. It was something that most academy students were given at least a cursory knowledge of in their education.

Konohamaru nearly swore out loud as his victims eyes shot open, and he gurgled his last desperate cries. In a panic, he stabbed the poor man several times in the face, trying to get him to shut the hell up.

But the damage had been done.

In the next bunk, his partner shot awake. In the split second before Konohamaru snapped his neck in a desperate attempt at damage control, he did what made the most sense at the time; screamed at the top of his lungs.

"ENEMIES! ENEM-"

Konohamaru swore as he felt the rigidity of the man's spinal chord snap like a twig. All around him, he heard the shouts and scrambling of the now fully alerted enemy encampment.

In another part of the camp, Naruto swore as he watched the few tents before him spring to life; what a bother. He formed a few quick hand seals.

**"Fuuton: Cutting Zephyr!"**

From his outstretched hands, a slicing air wave shot forward, critically wounding the unprepared shinobi before him. He didn't stop there; from behind, he could hear an advancing enemy. Without even thinking, he anticipated the attack, ducking low to avoid a decapitating slice and driving a kunai through the stomach of his attacker as he passed overhead.

"EVERYONE! REGROUP ON ME! PREPARE FOR THEIR COUNTER! OVER!"

He was practically screaming into the radio, even though he only meant to sound urgent. Sakura was the first to respond.

"They've already cut four of the Shida-nin and I off from you, Naruto-teichou. We've regrouped over here, but we'll need your help breaking through them. Over."

Naruto swore mentally, not wanting his men to hear his foul mood. "Roger, Sakura-chan. Over."

"Shiro-san, can you break down that separation? Over."

The response crackled into his ear a moment later.

"Hai, I think so, Naruto-san. Just give us a few minutes. Over."

Naruto had to fight off a surprise attack by a group of enemy Shinobi as the message came through. Running through the hand seals, he smashed the first one's face with a water bullet attack. The two others attempted to flank him; it would be their mistake, as they rushed out to his sides, he flashed through several hand seals, ending on Tora. He stretched his arms out when they were nearly parallel to him.

**"Fuuton: Focused Air Wave."**

The two mean on either side of him were thrown backwards by sudden gusts of wind that blasted from his palms. Each met with some solid object several meters from where they had been standing, both cut by the wind attack and broken by the concussive force of the blow and the collision.

He sniffed the air; there was one more. Behind him, the nervous Cloud-nin began making hand seals. Naruto turned around catching a glimpse of the seals he was rushing through. He was no Sharingan user, but he caught enough to make an educated guess as to what the man was trying to do.

**"Raiton: Spider Lightning" **

A blue bolt of electricity arced its way across the clearing towards the leaf shinobi; it would have been incredibly damaging, had he not been prepared. Deftly, he raised his guard, in this instance a wind blade jutsu that cut right through the lightning like it was butter. Not missing a beat, he rushed at the frightened enemy, driving his blade through his stomach and ending his life.

He wiped the blood from his hands, regarding the enemy corpse. "Sorry kid, but this is basic elemental jutsus. If you can't get that, you're probably better off where you are."

A crashing in the bushes behind him caught his attention. He turned, watching as Konohamaru dashed out of the brush, three Leaf and three Fern-nin in tow. But, unfortunately, the last Fern-nin would never make it; a well placed senbon found its mark in his neck, severing his jugular and causing him to stumble forward into the clearing, gasping for his last breaths. Unfazed, Naruto calculated where the needle had come from and responded with a Shuriken Kage Bunshin attack, which produced a satisfying chorus of sickening thuds a few seconds later.

"What's up, ni-chan?"

"We're holding position here; hopefully, Shiro and his group will be able to clear out the enemies dividing us from our comrades."

On another part of the battlefield, the shinobi in question was hatching his plan. He had selected five of his fastest archers for this maneuver; a typical Parthian ploy seemed in order. While he was sure he could just whittle away their numbers one by one, he wasn't sure Sakura or Naruto had that kind of time.

He reviewed the plan one last time with his men. "The key here is to not let them _know _their being lured into a barrage of arrows, which shouldn't be too hard since we haven't revealed ourselves yet. Act like you're going to reinforce Naruto-san, engage them in melee, and pretend to lose, then run back to this position. Look like you're at least trying to be stealthy to make it believable. got it?"

His handpicked subordinates nodded sharply, indicating their understanding.

"Go."

"Hai!"

They were off then, speeding through the dark towards the division separating the lines of allied Leaf and Fern shinobi.

The ploy worked better than expected. Many of the shinobi holding the center, some of them edgy and eager and too full of adrenaline to examine the situation more closely, attacked the five archers on sight. One fell to a katon Jutsu after about a minute of fighting, and the rest decided that this was the perfect excuse to fake the retreat. They immediately turned tail, dashing as fast as they could back to the location of the ambush. Of course, packs of the half frenzied cloud shinobi followed them, hoping to make a few easy kills for their efforts.

The ambush was a real thing of beauty, in Shiro's opinion. Artful, almost, if it weren't for the necessary carnage involved. Totally silent, the Hidden Fern ninja rose from their hiding spots, knocking multiple arrows to their strings in preparation for a devastating volley. Shiro, however, only knocked one. He only needed one. He smiled as the enemy shinobi came into view.

"Fire."

The shower of arrows that the Shida-nin released was devastating, but no one shinobi caused as many casualties in that instant as Shiro. As soon as he released his bow string, he dropped the bow; this jutsu required two handed seals, and it required them at lightning speed, part of the reason it was A-ranked. Flashing through the two required seals, he yelled **"Arrow Barrage!"**. One arrow became sixteen, and four enemy ninja fell mortally wounded from his one man assault. Many more were afflicted with immobilizing or stunning wounds, only to be set upon by Garoumaru and his pack or the other archers.

This was better than he could have hoped for; he ordered his men to press the attack. Knocking arrows, they shot forward as one, mowing down the enemies that came into their field of vision, and significantly narrowing the band of enemies separating Naruto's and Sakura's groups. "Naruto-san, Sakura-san, head towards the center!"

Both shinobi complied, forming up their groups and plowing through the significantly weakened resistance offered by the enemy shinobi.

From his perch at the center of the battlefield, the captain smiled; so, this was the great Kyuubi Jinchuuriki? His reputation was well deserved; he was a beast. But the captain, through working with the jinchuuriki obsessed Akatsuki, had learned something very special about just how a jinchuuriki's relationship with his Bijuu worked, something that he was going to use to devastating effect against the Kyuubi container if he would just remain distracted long enough for him to make his move. It would have to be a surprise attack; even he couldn't stand up to that fury.

As another small squad of his men was thrown at the enemy, he saw his opening. The kid was occupied. His senses were sharp, and he might be able to hear even the veteran captain's approach, but he certainly couldn't react fast enough to do anything about it.

Discreetly, he used a replacement to place him near Naruto's group. He watched, waiting for just the right time; it presented itself as one of his canon fodder-nin leapt at Naruto, trying to catch him by surprise from the treetops.

No time was wasted. This was how he had attained his rank; he was an expert with this specialized assassination technique. In a flash of mist, he was gone, the shunshin jutsu propelling him towards the Kyuubi container's exposed back.

Naruto felt a curious pain as he ground a Rasengan into his assailant's gut. He looked down; there was a katana sticking out of his belly that definitely wasn't supposed to be there. He cried out, sudden realization dawning on him as the Katana was ripped to the side.

"Ni-chan!" Konohamaru ran at top speed, desperate to save his commander.

From the other side of the battlefield, Sakura saw the whole thing. She didn't want to believe her eyes.

"Naruto!"

* * *

A/N: WILL THE AUTHOR KILL OFF THE MAIN CHARACTER BEFORE THE CLIMAX OF THE STORY? probably not. But you'll have to keep reading to find out. 

Bleh, I'm done trying to predict updates. This is nearing a week later than I promised it. From now on, just assume updates every one to two weeks, depending on how much crap I have competing for my time.

This chapter marks a rating change from T to M. I'll try to keep it reasonable, but I really don't want to have this removed for something as trivial as a mislabeled rating.

By the way, is anyone interested in Beta reading this? I spell check and all, but the problem with that is that A) it catches some things that aren't grammar mistakes and doesn't catch some things that are and B) most of the time it catches japanese words and I wind up pressing "ignore all" and ocasionally pass over a legitimate spelling mistake. Plus, someone who could catch a few of the glaring storyline or syntactical errors I ocasionally make would be appreciated.

Thanks again to anyone and everyone who has and will review. If you've read this far, you know the whole spiel about why any kind of review is the good kind. I especially like follow up reviews from people who've given me serious critiques, though; it helps see if I've improved on the points you mention.

This next week I may be making minor edits to a few of the earlier chapters; a few spelling, a few grammar that I've noticed, and one small storyline change. Namely, I'm changing one chapter so that Naruto doesn't use a Katon jutsu. This is mostly just to keep consistency with what most of ya'll seem to be saying about elemental jutsus in canon.

Anyway, I've talked enough. Read, review, enjoy.

Peace.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: If Naruto were mine... well, this story would be a Manga I suppose.**

Pre-A/N: Italics are either whispering or internal monologue. Use context clues to figure out which, class! Bolded words are the Kyuubi talking.

Chapter 8

As soon as the full force of just what the mystery katana was doing in his stomach hit him, time seemed to slow down in a funny way for Naruto. He experienced every moment of agony as if it were an age. It felt as though he could count the minutes as he watched, morbidly fascinated, his blood hitting the ground. He wondered if this was anything like the Tsukuyomi Sasuke and Kakashi had described, these hours of pain compressed into a few seconds; it certainly fit the description. Vaguely, Naruto realized that he should be feeling a lot more concerned about this than he was in his semi detached state of mind.

He was in pain. In fact, he mused, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that this was the most pain he'd ever felt in his life. Perhaps even more-so than when Sasuke had shoved an electrified hand into his right lung. But what was perhaps more annoying than the pain was the fact that it _wasn't going away. _This wasn't right. It didn't make sense. Normally, his irksome tenant would at least have begun to dull the pain by now, if not having already begun the mending process. He decided, in the interest of keeping alive, it was time to have a word with the bastard Kitsune. He didn't particularly like conversing with the demon that had, and continued to attempt to, ruin his life, but in times like these it became a troublesome necessity.

_"Neh, Kyuubi-chan?" _The informal address was something Jiraiya had taught him when they had practiced mastering the Bijuu; even in his speech, he must make it clear that he is the master, or else risk losing his will to the Kyuubi's bloodlust.

Even as he fell to his knees, unable to stand from the tremendous pain, he could feel the normal symptoms of the psychic connection being established; his eyes flashed white for a moment, like he had been blinded, and the beat of some foreign heart echoed in his ears.

He was in this place again; the metaphorical sewer of the darkest corner of his subconscious, where the Kyuubi was caged for, hopefully, eternity. Or at least until Naruto died. With luck, the thing would die with him.

Naruto never quite understood why or how this place was so vivid. He was sure it wasn't just a creation of his mind's eye; the mind's eye tends to be somewhat hazy, and doesn't interfere with normal vision. But this place absolutely enveloped his senses. He could smell the strong odors and feel the rancid water lapping around his feet. He could see nothing outside of the dark corridors, and even his sense of time seemed skewed while in here, and its flow as compared to real time was chaotic and ever-changing. It was like some combination of a dream and another world.

He shook himself from his half wonderment, staring around at the area he had been dumped in. One of the peculiarities of the Kyuubi's sub-world was that either he dumped Naruto in a different place every time or he could change it at his will. Try as he might, Naruto was never able to use past experience to try and navigate the maze any more successfully each time; he just wandered around until he found the sadistic bastard. Idly, he whipped out a kunai (which he vaguely realized couldn't possibly be anything more than a mental construct) and twirled it around on his finger before letting it go; it skittered across the flooded floor until it landed, point facing directly towards him.

"So backwards I go." He said aloud. Or was it just in his head? This exercise could get really confusing… In any event, the 'spin the kunai' was a trick he had come up with a while ago, reasoning that since he never had any idea where to find the cage, a completely random method of determining which direction to take was as good as any educated guess. Sighing, he made his way into the dark corridor behind him, anxious to get this journey behind him. Even though he had discovered some time ago that how much time he spent in here turned out to have absolutely _no _bearing on how much time passed in the real world, Naruto disliked nothing more than he disliked tedium and frustration, and this was likely to take hours, or at least what felt like hours.

And so, he walked. He walked until he hit a dead end, and then he backtracked, trying to find the last turn he had come to. He repeated this process several times, walking in random patterns until his already skewed sense of time began to blur; without feelings of hunger or tiredness in this strange world, nor any kind of visual indicators, it became easy to lose track. What felt like hours could easily have been days or weeks. And the overall uniformity of the dingy corridors made it more or less impossible to remember where he had been; had he passed this turn before? He couldn't tell…

And then, finally, he reached his goal. Or rather, an indicator that he was on the right track. For at one intersection, he found a long, straight corridor, with no branches or turns that he could see; and, rather than being dimly lit by flickering fluorescent bulbs along its path, which eventually faded into a mist that obscured the hall's end, he found that the corridor had no lighting, save for a minute speck in the distance. That was his goal; the prison of Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Of course, this was a poor indicator of how near to the end he was. Sometimes, the cage of the Kyuubi was but a few meters from what he had come to dub the 'long hall' (though it appeared that this was one of the longer of the hallway's incarnations). But others, it seemed to be a good several hours trek through water that, curiously enough, deepened to his knees, before it broke out into the main chamber.

So, with a sigh, he continued his trek; in a normal situation, he would have been a bit apprehensive about walking in total darkness. But strangely enough, the Kyuubi's sadism stopped just short of making him walk through a dark hall full of small rocks and landmines, and experience told him he would be fine.

Thankfully, however, the Kyuubi felt his sense of urgency this time, and his journey seemed a relatively peaceful stroll through ankle deep water. Had he been paying attention to his sense of time, he would have noticed that it had only been a five or ten minute walk that took him to the heart of the labyrinth.

Of course, he could feel the change in the air as soon as he arrived; it became heavy and wet; not unlike the feeling of being in the midst of Zabuza's mist, the important difference being that there was only a mild haze obscuring his vision, and, rather than being a numbing chill, the air was hot as a midsummer's afternoon. Even still, he felt a chill run up his spine, and wished, for some reason, that he had a jacket.

He stood before the Kyuubi; everything was familiar and in order. The seal on his cage was completely intact, and, as always, the beast himself stood there with what would have been an annoying grin, were it not so terrifying, and narrowed red eyes that clearly said "I would love to murder you". Naruto was at least somewhat relieved at this. He had initially feared that the Kyuubi had found some way to weaken or completely escape the seal, which would contribute to his refusal to heal him. But the fact that his prisoner remained quite secure where he had for the past twenty one years meant that something must be drastically wrong. He decided to open the conversation, knowing that taking the lead would give him some lead in the mental battle that always comes with dealing with kitsune.

_"Shouldn't you be doing something about this?" _

The Kyuubi growled at him; he didn't appreciate insolence, even from someone who so fully controlled his fate. When he got out (for there was no doubt in his mind that he would; the megalomaniacal tend to live in absolute denial until confronted with the end of everything), this kid would be the first to feel his fangs. How many times had he made that promise to himself?

**"I wish I could brat, really, I do. Unfortunately, whoever the man standing behind you is, he is quite prepared to deal with Jinchuriki." **

Naruto flinched, despite his best efforts to hide it. So someone had known he was a Jinchuriki? Though he had accrued a modest amount of fame outside of the Fire Country, the fact that he was a Jinchuriki was still a well guarded secret. The only organization outside of the Leaf that knew (to the best of his knowledge) was… Akatsuki.

_"Explain. Now." _

The Kyuubi sighed, a noise that made Naruto want to leap out of his own skin. The kid didn't know how to talk to his elders or betters.

**"Hmmm… You are aware that I channel my Chakra to you along special Chakra channels which roughly trace an outline of the seal, correct?" **

Naruto nodded. _"What of it?" _

**"Well, those are physical pathways, and like any other part of your body, they can be severed." **

A jolt from Naruto indicated to the Kyuubi that he had connected the dots.

_"So… I'm cut off from your chakra?! Can't you heal the chakra points though?" _  
His voice sounded desperate, betraying the sudden onset of panic.

**"Normally, yes, but that's why I say that this man was… well prepared. Not only did he know the location of your seal, but he knew to use a blade that could channel his chakra directly into you, damaging the tenketsu in a manner similar to Jyuken. It would take me several days to heal the damage; you have about ten minutes." **

As much as Kyuubi hated the prospect of going out with the brat, a possibility that was becoming more real with each passing second, he had to admit he couldn't have concocted a better revenge if he had tried. He lapped up the look on the young man's face like fresh milk; it was so much like the one from the old days, when he had at least been able to make the kid's life miserable. To be able to watch the brat fall in his prime, when he had the most to lose and so much yet to accomplish, gave him a kind of bittersweet satisfaction.

Of course that didn't mean he wouldn't save his life in a second if he got the opportunity. Kyuubi no Kitsune was many things, but suicidal was not among them.

_"FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK!" _It wasn't really much of a plan of action, but repeating swear words seemed about all Naruto could do in this state.

**"…It's not all bad you know, brat. Stomach wounds bleed slowly; there's still time for a miracle…" **

Naruto found it difficult to take comfort in those words as he whited out once more; the sign that he was returning to the waking world. A place which, given the circumstances, he really could stand to do without at the moment.

* * *

His eyes flashed as he was dumped, rather unceremoniously, back into the waking world. The suddenness of it was something like waking up from a nightmare, and he was surprised to find that hardly an instant had passed since his dream odyssey in the world of the Kyuubi had begun; his knees hadn't even hit the ground yet. He marveled at this in a dreamy way, a subtle sign that he was losing blood. 

_"Can that bastard really control time?" _

Whispering. He could hear… someone whispering. Something about… mortals? It took all of his focus to drown out the din of battle around him and focus on the soft sound in his left ear.

_"It sucks, doesn't it? Having that awesome source of power suddenly severed? To realize that you are, in fact, not the great warrior you envisioned yourself, but just a scared kid with a hole in his stomach? How does it feel, Uzumaki Naruto, to be mortal?" _

Shit. Was this the guy who stabbed him? It made sense; the only people outside of Konoha who knew his name and that he was a Jinchuriki were the Akatsuki, and they had never been noted for their concern over his well being. But… why?

He coughed, frowning at the drops of blood that descended from his mouth. "You know, if you kill me, the Kyuubi goes too…"

The mystery man chuckled. "_Oh, I assure you, Naruto-kun, that we have ways of tying Bijuu to this plane after their containers have died. I imagine that the Kyuubi no Kitsune will be delighted to be free from such an… unsatisfactory, host." _

Two thoughts ran through Naruto's head at that moment. The first was his duty; like it or not, he was the prison of the Kyuubi, and this man wanted to take it from him. For the sake of his friends and his village (and everyone else, for that matter), he could not allow the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune to fall into the hands of those foolish enough to try and exploit it.

But that wasn't what set him off. For his entire life, Uzumaki Naruto had been considered by many people to be something less than human; they had justified their treatments saying that an animal doesn't truly have feelings, and they had passed off his early success as nothing more than his abuse of the Kyuubi's powers. The second one really got to him. To call him a sub-par shinobi was one thing; he was the first to admit that he had done some stupid things as a kid. But say that his strength wasn't his own that he had earned through blood and effort? You were good as dead.

And now this man was making the same accusation. Naruto didn't need the Kyuubi to get angry, and that anger sharpened his focus and momentarily lifted the haze from his thoughts.

He knew he couldn't possibly perform both nature and shape manipulation in this state; it would take too great an effort of concentration. But that couldn't stop him from using the seal on his right hand. He began to push as much chakra as he could into it; this wasn't exactly an orthodox method of performing this jutsu.

The Captain smiled; so the boy had resigned to his fate. That was good; it would make his job at least marginally easier. From beneath a fold of his gi, he pulled out a small, oddly shaped talisman, and began to perform hand seals. _"Now, if you don't struggle, this will be less troublesome for the both of us." _

"No."

_"Hmm?" _So he was going to be difficult, was he?

**"Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!"**

The Captain was completely taken; had he known Uzumaki Naruto better, he would have known not to let his guard down, even when he looked like he was on the verge of death. But the Captain had made the fatal mistake of underestimating him, a misconception he was sorely regretting as his broken body was slammed into a tree dozens of yards away.

He dragged his body up, trying desperately to regain his footing, even though his ankle had been shattered on the tree he had landed against. He had to get away; not only had he utterly failed to acquire the Kyuubi, but he had made the grave mistake of quite possibly killing the container, and the Bijuu along with it. The Akatsuki would likely not forgive him for the destruction of such an important asset.

But he never got the chance to run; before he could even make his feet, Konohamaru was standing in front of him, kunai bared in each hand and a look of utmost hatred adorning his features.

"DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

The last thing he ever saw were Konohamaru's arms, barely a blur, closing in on the sides of his neck, and the last thing he ever felt was the pair of kunai piercing through opposite sides of his jugular.

Naruto smiled as he saw Konohamaru finish what he, regrettably, could not. He had paid a price for his on the spot ingenuity; normally, the Fuuton: Great Breakthrough technique is released from an area around the body, placing the user in the eye of a small storm that expands outward. But by concentrating the jutsu through the chakra refining seal in his right hand, he had made himself just as susceptible to its explosive effects as the target. But with the pain he was feeling, a little extra burden felt like nothing, and he barely grunted as he hit the ground several yards away, skidding and rolling to a stop near a small rivulet.

If he had been in a bad way before, it was nothing compared to now; his right arm was broken almost as badly as it had been before he had perfected his Fuuton Rasengan, and the whole right side of his body was broken to varying degrees. Cuts, abrasions, contusions, fractures, all adorned the right half of his body in a haphazard fashion. He had shortened the already preciously small amount of his remaining lifespan a great deal, but it didn't matter. He had done as the Yondaime had instructed; the Kyuubi no Kitsune was safely locked away in his navel, where it would pass away into the next world with him. He couldn't say he was happy, but he was content, and in some strange way that was better.

"Naruto!"

_"Sakura?" _

It was the last thing that occurred to him before he blacked out, and knew no more.

* * *

Sasuke was experiencing an entirely new state of mind, one that he found he wasn't much a fan of; he was in the early stages of an outright panic. But, in all fairness, what the hell else was he supposed to do? To the best of his knowledge, there was no good end to this scenario. 

He could run, sure, and maybe live, but that would be the end of his career as a Leaf shinobi; the end of his growth as a ninja. The end of his dream. And that was unacceptable; he still had so much to learn before he could take on his brother and actually hope to win.

But staying there seemed hopeless. There was no way to control the damage Deidara's bastard clone was about to unleash, and Sai had already indicated that he couldn't move the Oyabun out of the blast radius in that time. So what options were left?

But the Oyabun, even in the midst of his excruciating pain, kept the clear head that had earned him his position. There were no options, in his mind, other than to try and contain the explosion; he could not allow that kind of damage to befall his village. And besides, if it failed, he was dead. Exactly as dead as he'd be if he tried to run. So, logic dictated that there was nothing left to do but focus through the pain and pray to every holy thing that his plan worked out.

"You." It took a tremendous effort just to grunt the word out through the pain, which made him cringe when he thought of the Herculean feat it would be to try and pull this plan off. The address couldn't possibly have referred to anyone but the odd leaf ninja that had accompanied Sasuke, but he still seemed hell bent on being difficult.

"Who, me?"

"Yes you, shut up and put your hands on my back."

Sai looked incredulous. "Why?"

Ittoue felt like slapping the kid. This wasn't the time to be questioning his orders, especially when…

_"Oh damn." _

Deidara, or rather, his clone, had gathered enough from Ittoue's actions and his speech to know that he was planning something; even though he really doubted it could do much against his clone suicide bomb technique, he still decided it would be safest to end this as quickly as possible. While the Oyabun had been occupied with Sai, he had, as quickly as he could in his weakened state, grabbed a kunai from a secret pouch hidden in the right sleeve of his Akatsuki robes, and was trying to steady his hand as he brought it up to his face; it would hurt like hell, but it would expedite his death, and consequently that of the Oyabun.

"DAMNIT, JUST PUT YOUR HANDS ON MY BACK _NOW_!"

Maybe it was the yelling, or the commanding weight of Ittoue's voice, but for some reason Sai felt a compulsion to obey the man. It was almost as if the man had a subtle control over his will. Almost immediately on making contact, Sai felt a sensation in his hands that tingled like when the blood flow was cut off an extremity. It crawled from where his hands made contact to the rest of his body in a matter of seconds. This was a sensation they had been trained to recognize in ANBU training; the sensation of one's chakra being forcibly removed from their bodies.

_"So he's borrowing my chakra? Interesting…" _

At this point, Ittoue was making seals frantically; he figured he had only a few seconds before Deidara ended things prematurely, and this particular technique required a great many hand seals; at the back of his mind, he noted that he would have to fix that deficiency if he managed to escape from this alive. Finally, just as Deidara seemed to have steadied his trembling for a final blow, he finished the seal sequence.

**"Great Water Prison No Jutsu" **

He yawned wide, the slightly sharpened teeth his family inherited giving him the appearance of a feeding shark, and ejected a huge torrent of water that rushed forth to engulf the volatile clone. Rather than behave as water often does, obeying gravity and flowing to fill in any nook that has not been filled, it seemed to move with a purpose. It reared up around Deidara, quickly surrounding himself and forming itself into an ultra dense sphere.

"Like hell you will!"

With a spasmodic jerk, the Deidara clone plunged the kunai into his own eye, snuffing out his life and triggering the explosive clay buried deep within him.

Sasuke leaped from the balcony he was standing on, executing a neat back flip to land on the roof above him. He watched in horror and anticipation as the water that had made up Deidara's prison exploded in all directions. At the same time, the chakra flow that had increased its density so much was severed, causing it to expand rapidly and flood the small street in a rapidly expanding torrent. He squinted through the spray and the torrent, trying to find any sign of his companion and the Oyabun. On some level, he took bitter satisfaction in the fact that, alive or dead, the Oyabun had had the strength to defend his people; something Sasuke had often wished he had been imbued with fourteen years ago, when it mattered the most.

After a few moments, the spray of water, not entirely unlike the surf spray he had witnessed on the coasts of Wave Country, died down, and he searched frantically for the Sai and Ittoue, his Sharingan activated to drink in every detail of the scene. He feared the worst; while he had been more or less safe from the explosion at his distance, those two had been right near the source, and Sasuke had no idea how much punishment the Oyabun could take in his wounded state.

He breathed a sigh of relief, however, when he spotted him. They had indeed been rattled; in fact, that was an understatement. They had been flung several meters from where they had begun and crashed, rather violently, into the side of a small shanty; but the flimsy construction of the woven straw walls softened his landing, and likely saved him from a broken back. The two shinobi seemed heavily injured, but their slow, deliberate movements showed that they were in fact alive, at least for the moment.

Sasuke wasted no time in going to see to the Oyabun. He leapt gracefully from his perch atop the roof, splashing as he hit the still shin deep water that covered the streets. He noted offhandedly that they must be in some kind of minor depression for it to continue to pool up here. It was a matter of seconds before he was inspecting Ittoue. He only gave Sai a cursory glance, as he had already gained his feet and appeared to be fine, for the moment; if he was suffering internal bleeding, there wasn't much Sasuke could do about it anyway.

"Are you okay?"

"How the fuck should I know, I'm not a doctor."

Well, apparently you're well enough to be irritable. How does your leg feel?"

"Like it's on fire; but the pain's numbed a bit… how does it look?"

Sasuke winced, something that Ittoue picked up on immediately. "Why don't you take a look for yourself?"

"Because I don't want to. Is it really that bad? Is it still there?"

"Well… kind of."

It was honestly the best answer he could come up with. Most of the meat was still there, but from a few inches above the knee to the ankle it had been shredded, pulverized, and scorched by the minute explosions. The rest of his body wasn't in great shape either. It looked like he had suffered a fractured rib or two from his impact with the building; still, he wasn't dying, and that was something.

"What the hell is 'kind of?'"

"Well… there's no way to put this delicately, Momochi-sama, but… your future as a shinobi depends entirely on the ability of your medic-nins. I hope, for your sake, that you have some good ones."

He turned then to Sai, who was leaning against a wall and attempting to recover himself. "Sai-san."

"Hai, Uchiha-san." Sasuke was utterly shocked to discover that there were times that Sai considered it appropriate to show proper etiquette, but decided to ponder it later.

"Momochi-sama needs medical attention." The rest of the message was clear enough; 'go find him some'. Sai was off in a second, leaping atop the rooftops towards the medical center, which he had discovered in his earlier expedition.

Sasuke was nervous; it would have taken him hours to find more things that could go wrong with this negotiation process. First, he had had to assault two high ranking shinobi of the village just to find the damn place; then, after infiltrating the village, he had been discovered in the compromising position of breaking into its leader's office. And then, of all things, an Akatsuki had attacked. And he had done nothing, if not exacerbate the problem by triggering the whole explosion team. He sighed. Itachi would die of old age before he made this failure up to the hidden leaf.

"Uchiha-san."

He was visibly startled by Ittoue's voice.

"Hai, Momochi-sama?" There was a look of absolute determination in his eyes, making Sasuke thumb the hilt of his ninken nervously.

"Go back to your Hokage… and tell her I will meet with her to work out an alliance between our people."

Sasuke could only blink. That wasn't what he had been expecting. But he'd take it any day.

"Hai, Momochi-sama." He turned to leave. No sense in wasting time with goodbyes; the Hokage enjoyed punctuality, and he prided himself on efficiency. But he paused quickly before leaving, having suddenly thought of something.

"Tell Sai I told him he's to stay here, as a representative of the Leaf, until such time as you're able to meet with the Hokage."

"Hai, Uchiha-san." No sooner had the promise been given than Sasuke was off, a cloud of swirling mist the only indication that he had been there at all.

As he hopped across the roofs of the Hidden Wave Village, he couldn't help but smile; it was a damn good day, in his opinion. He had re-secured his job (assuming Tsunade didn't get all uppity about the injured Oyabun), killed an S-ranked missing-nin (sort of), and to top it all off, he had most assuredly ruined Sai's week with this underhanded last minute assignment.

_"I wonder how Naruto's doing…"_

* * *

Ever so slowly, the darkness faded from Naruto's eyes… had he blacked out? He couldn't tell. He couldn't even tell where he was. All he knew is that the world was one dark blur and someone was screaming his name. 

"Naruto! Wake up damnit!"

The fog lifted a little. It was Sakura. And she was on the verge of tears. But why would she be crying…

As if by epiphany, it came back to him; the mission that sent him here, the surprise attack, his fight with the enemy captain, and most importantly, the mortal wound he had received.

_"Well son of a bitch. I'm going to die." _

He was going to die. It was a strange sensation that set in; he wasn't sad, or angry, or even afraid. He was just disappointed. He had expected so much more from himself, and he had failed to deliver. He had so much he had promised himself he'd do, and he had gotten knifed in the back before he could deliver on most of them. But hey, maybe there was even something to this afterlife business. Maybe he'd finally get to meet his parents.

"Swallow this."

He complied with Sakura's request, not entirely sure of what was going on; whatever she had forced Naruto to swallow had the coppery, bitter taste of blood. That, or it was just the blood coating his throat.

_"Sakura…" _

Sakura. She was probably his biggest regret. Even now, when he wanted so badly to tell her that he loved her and that he hated to see her like this, he knew he couldn't; all it could do at this point was load emotional baggage onto her, and he refused to make this harder on her than it was already going to be. It would be the last and greatest act of his love that he would take his feelings to the grave.

He coughed, ejecting blood from his mouth.

"Sak'ra…what wa tha…pill?"

"A blood replenishment pill, now shut up!"

Sakura was frantic. She had already used her diagnostic jutsu; even though she had managed to seal up the skin, even her medical ninjutsu couldn't fix internal damage to this degree. In fact, she only knew of one jutsu that could heal damage to this extent, and it required a special operating room in Konoha; something she had no way of accessing with him in this state. He would already be dead if she hadn't started force feeding him blood replenishment pills. Of course, this wasn't an orthodox use of blood replenishment pills; there were severe side effects associated with their overuse, but she was desperate for a way to save her best friend. He couldn't die here, not like this. He had so much he had left to do… and more importantly, she admitted to herself, he couldn't leave her like this.

"Sakura…"

"I told you to shut up." For someone having his life saved, he wasn't being very cooperative.

"Sakura-chan, _cough, _I'm… going to die. Please… stop worrying about it." He coughed again, this time ejecting a large amount of blood from his mouth.

"Shut the fuck up!"

She had to calm down. There had to be a way to save him, there just had to be. If only she had time, time to think and plan; but that was something the idiot wouldn't give her. Each blood replenishment pill bought him only a few more minutes in this world, and their effect was beginning to diminish.

Chisa. She was a talented medic-nin, and she might have access to an operating room similar to the one in Konoha. At this point, it was his only hope. She force fed him another blood replenishment pill and hoisted him up on her shoulders, trying to arrange him in the position she had learned wouldn't harm the wounded party further.

"Sak'ra… oba-chan isn' gonna like thi…"

"I don't give a shit. Kotetsu-san!"

The shinobi in question turned his head, even as he dispatched a cloud shinobi with his massive conch hammer.

"Hai?"

"You're in charge here. Don't… tell anyone the extent of Naruto's injuries, ok?" The look in her eyes was desperate and pleading; the last thing she wanted was for his men to think their captain was dying.

"Hai, Sakura-san."

Satisfied, she turned, speeding off in the direction of the Fourth Weapon's Storage Warehouse, and what she hoped would be Naruto's salvation.

She leapt through trees and across houses, stopping only occasionally to give Naruto another blood replenishment pill. She didn't even bother to try and take the long way; the few times she had met with an enemy, she had dispatched them ruthlessly and efficiently, even once saving a Fern shinobi who had gotten themselves into a tight spot.

_"Thank god for his natural stamina." _

Anyone else would have begun rejecting the pills by now, for they use a special enzyme to stimulate the production of blood, one which the body begins to reject once large doses are introduced. But as it was, he could take a few more yet before his body would stop accepting them. She felt slightly heartened, or at least as much so as she could with the current state of affairs; he could be saved, if only they could make it to Chisa. That became her mantra, and she held onto it like a lifeline, for it was the only thing keeping her from descending into hopelessness.

Even still, in the back of her mind, the annoying voice of her impeccable logic was telling her that it was highly unlikely that Chisa could do anything. The Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique required a great amount of preparation, something they hadn't likely prepared for in the warehouse, at least not in a village this small. But they had to have some emergency preparations, right? It would be inane not to have a secure emergency hospital for a time like this. Even a village this small would have to have taken some precautions.

But her newfound hope fell out from under her as she hopped into a small square. It couldn't be more than a block from the storage warehouse, and it was largely abandoned; except for four cloud shinobi. They must have been an infiltration team, for they were far behind the front lines.

_"Dammit!" _

She didn't have time for this. Genjutsu battles were often long and drawn out, like games of chess. You had to position yourself correctly and lure the enemy into your trap, where you finished them off with minimal effort. In other words, it took time she didn't have. Taijutsu also was out of the question. While generally quicker at dispatching modest numbers of opponents, it became a largely defensive game when beset by three or more attackers, as you defended your vitals and waited for one to present an opening. So she would have to rely on her somewhat less spectacular ninjutsu fighting these opponents; it was the best option for taking on large numbers of enemy. She prayed to god that they were idiots as she silently performed the seals for the first jutsu.

**"Katon: Great Fireball no Jutsu!" **

Opponent wise, it was her lucky day. Two of them managed to leap out of the way, but the two in the center were taken so completely by surprise that they had only a split second to panic before being completely incinerated. Sakura smirked. This had just become easy. One of the ninja reached for his kunai holster, trying to throw her off balance with a brace of kunai. She could only laugh pityingly at his lack of speed. Before his hand even reached the hilts of his weapons Sakura had launched a kunai that slit his jugular. He went down gasping for breath as she turned her attention to the last opponent; where could he be?

Her question was answered as he came leaping out of the tree, aiming a spinning kick for Naruto, who was still latched firmly to her back (the adrenaline rush that came with the situation had almost made her stop feeling the weight). She reacted before he could even connect, leaping out of the way as she made hand seals.

**"Kanashibari!" **

The man's body locked up in midair; unfortunately for him, the technique did nothing to slow his fall, and he crashed unceremoniously into the ground, where he would stay for a good while; partially from the effects of the Jutsu, and partially from the broken bones he had acquired in his tumble. Absently, Sakura shoved another blood replenishment pill down Naruto's throat as she continued making her way to the warehouse.

It was only a few more minutes before she was by the entrance closest to the infirmary. She burst in, not even bothering to acknowledge the Oyabun or his questions as to what was going on; he was secondary in this situation. Chisa was her goal. Had she been thinking more clearly at the moment, she might have realized that Takashi could point her in the direction of Chisa, saving her the time she would waste searching for her, but she wasn't in a proper state of mind; now that she was here, so close to finding out if her hopes were well founded or baseless, she was gripped by a primal terror and anticipation. She couldn't lose Naruto; she didn't know what she'd do if she lost the light he brought to her life, or Konoha for that matter. The logical part of her brain, working in overdrive as it always did, told her she was overreacting, exaggerating his importance to her and to the village in order to justify her rash actions. It told her that there was only one person she ever let herself get this worked up over… and she promptly told it to go to hell.

It took her little time to navigate the makeshift corridors to the small infirmary; luckily, Chisa was easy to locate this time.

"Chisa-sama!" She completely ignored the fact that it was incredibly unprofessional to yell in a medical ward.

Chisa took in the scene in a matter of seconds; it was the annoying captain from Konoha, the one who had planned and led the raid which, unbeknownst to Sakura, was just beginning to produce spectacular results. The dried blood around his mouth showed that he had been suffering prolonged internal bleeding, or that he had gotten hit in the mouth. But she doubted that a girl who was, in her opinion, a competent medic-nin, would drag him all the way back and break protocol so blatantly for something as simple as a busted lip. She began carefully.

"What's the matter, Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto! He was stabbed, in the back! Don't you have some special operating room for the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique?"

Chisa shook her head regretfully. She had been pushing the council for years now to add a hospital to the underground auxiliary system, but they had blocked her at every turn; and now this boy would die for it. Well… that wasn't necessarily true. There was still _one _thing she could do.

But Sakura didn't know about that; all she knew was that her last hope had just been ground into the dust. She fell to her knees, allowing Naruto's half-corpse to slip off her shoulders and gently come to rest onto the floor. She couldn't get her head around this; Naruto's story was so full of pain and hurt and triumph. It was _supposed _to have a happy ending. It wasn't supposed to end on some meaningless battlefield in a two bit little village in the middle of the woods.

Chisa could see the hurt on her face; she had felt it on her own once. She sighed, knowing then that she would go through with it, because she nobody deserved to go through the pain she had gone through. Sometimes it sucked being a nice person.

"You really care about this boy, don't you?"

"Hai." Her voice was soft and choked with tears; she didn't even have the energy left to deny the insinuations of the older woman's tone and choice of words.

"Well then, I think I can help you."

Chisa walked calmly over to Naruto; he was lying where Sakura had left him, struggling to breathe and wondering dimly (for he was still somewhat conscious; as much as one can be, given what he'd gone through) what was going on. Chisa began a long seal sequence as Sakura wiped her eyes, her overwhelming grief momentarily giving way to curiosity.

"What are you doing?"

"Saving his life."

It took several seconds for her to end the sequence of seals; when she did, she bit her thumb, and slammed a palm into his forehead. Immediately, Chisa's body seized up, and a blank look occupied her eyes; she looked like a woman possessed. The area suddenly became enveloped in a green light, recognizable to Sakura as the same kind of healing chakra that she used in her normal healing ninjutsu; could this woman really heal someone that thoroughly without the use of seals or auxiliary participants? But… that jutsu would be impossible, research proved it. And why had she touched his forehead? Healing chakra was always applied locally, not systemically. The people in the room less familiar with medical ninjutsu gave the ritual a wide berth, possessing an instinctual fear of the unnatural green energy.

And as quickly as it had started, it was over. Chisa collapsed onto the floor, and an intricate seal that was not unlike the released state of Tsunade's Shadow Seal had appeared on his forehead. But that wasn't what concerned her; for the instant the ritual had ended, Naruto had stopped breathing. Her panic hit her again full force. What had that stupid bitch done?

"Naruto?!" She checked his pulse. Nothing. She was on the verge of snapping when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"This is a great gift." It was Takashi. When she had passed him in the war room, he had not failed to notice the promising young captain slung over her back, and had decided to follow her.

"What do you mean? He's stopped breathing!"

"Exactly."

_"Exactly? Is he a fucking idiot?" _

"What do you mean 'Exactly'?"

"The Hibernation Stasis Technique; that seal on his forehead suppresses his metabolism completely, while at the same time keeping his body from dying using the chakra stored in the seal. Of course; it has a price, and it has a limit. That jutsu puts a severe strain on the caster's body, as well as taking up most of their chakra. Hence, why Chisa-san collapsed."

Sakura was awed; this was indeed a great gift. If she ever saw the woman again, she wouldn't be able to thank her enough.

"How long does he have?"

"Normally, that jutsu will sustain the imbued for roughly three days; just enough time to get to the Hidden Leaf, if you hurry."

Sakura gave a sharp nod, taking out a soldier pill as she did. She wouldn't have time to rest if she wanted to save her friend. She popped the pill into her mouth, and replaced Naruto in his initial delicate position on her back. She turned then to Takashi.

"Arigato, Takashi-san!" She was off then, making her way as fast as she could out of the warehouse and into the streets of the Hidden Fern. Takashi just smiled after her knowingly.

_"Those kids will be fine. As for me however…" _

It took Sakura a while to navigate a safe path through the Hidden Fern, especially with Naruto slung on her back. But within the hour she had safely made her way out of the village, and began speeding her way as fast as she could, burdened as she was, through the primeval vales of forest country, on a straight course for the Hidden Leaf Village.

* * *

It was hours later when the attack force once commanded by Naruto made its way back into the safe zone of the Hidden Fern; despite several casualties, the attack had been a complete success, and those once cut off from support had been brought inside the safe zone with minimal interference from the Hidden Cloud. The Hidden Leaf had, miraculously, suffered no casualties since Naruto had fallen earlier that morning. Now, Kotetsu, as the acting leaf commander, and Shiro were meeting with the Oyabun to determine their next course of action. 

"Can we not simply counterattack, now that we can focus our efforts on the offensive?" Shiro was getting impatient with the invasion, and it became evident in his opinion of their actions.

Kotetsu tried to remain respectfully silent; he could command men, but when it came to drawing up strategies, he was hopeless, and so he deferred to the two men who appeared to have much more training in the matter.

"Ahh, but there are still so many of them; I would rather not risk lives in a frontal assault, especially with this new revelation of their being leaderless. Kotetsu-san, can you confirm the reports of their leader's death?"

Kotetsu started slightly at being asked his opinion, when honestly he had expected his place at this meeting to be merely a formality. But nevertheless, he regained his composure and answered to the best of his ability. "Well, I certainly saw Konohamaru-san shove a few kunai into his throat; if he isn't dead, he at least isn't commanding men for a while."

The Oyabun smiled. "Good. In that case, I believe it is time for us to make our move. Shiro-kun, if you will."

"Hai, Oya… Otosan. What is it?"

"Tell Ryotaro-san to begin supervising the evacuation, via the underground tunnels. We're beginning the 'retreat'."

Shiro smiled knowingly, and Kotetsu looked utterly confused.

"The retreat?"

Shiro chuckled. "Come with me, and you'll understand soon enough."

* * *

The retreat, as it turned out, was a standardized plan of counterattack used for over an age by the people of Forest Country against superior forces; basically, it involved luring them into the trees, where they were cut down by the bow work of the Hidden Fern shinobi. The only real difficulty was to make sure to sell the retreat and get the enemy to follow you while keeping casualties to a minimum. Most importantly, you had to make them think they were fighting the main body of your force, otherwise they wouldn't pursue. The fundamental paradox of this, of course, was that to sell the retreat you needed to make it _look _like you were getting your ass kicked, which is difficult to do without actually getting your ass kicked. 

But there was no greater master of it than Takazuka Shiro. Toketsu marveled from his perch in the trees as he saw the Cloud army approaching; there was more left than he had imagined. He marveled at the skillful manipulation of the Hidden Fern shinobi. The Cloud, without a leader to rein them in, was taking this hook, line, and sinker. On a graver note, he had to applaud the bravery of the Fern Shinobi executing the ruse; they went in there knowing that some of them weren't coming out alive.

He glanced over to Takashi, whose hand rested comfortably on a Katana. He gave him a curious look. "Where's your bow?"

"Don't use one." Came the simple reply.

"Why not?"

He gestured to his eyes. "Nearsighted."

Kotetsu found himself having to stifle a giggle at the irony. But his mirth was short lived as the Cloud forces closed in.

Takashi gave a sharp nod to the three men at his side, who immediately began forming hand seals. In unison, they intoned **" Forest Illusion: Mystic Paths"**.

It seemed almost to Toketsu as though nothing had happened, until he observed the effect it had on the Cloud ninja who entered the forest; as soon as they hit the shade of the foliage, each one began forging their own path, cutting themselves off from their teams in a haphazard fashion. Takashi answered his unasked question. "Wide area genjutsu. Each of those men is chasing their imaginary companions on paths only they can see. Now the real fun begins."

A simple signal with his right hand was the command to attack. In an instant the Hidden Fern shinobi set on their attackers with an un-sated vengeance; the Cloud ninja didn't stand a chance. Even those who saw through the jutsu and dispelled it in time were cut down by the superior stealth and speed of the Hidden Fern ninjas.

Kotetsu couldn't help but gawk as the battle wrapped up in under an hour. No wonder Tsunade wanted these people on their side; they were absolutely brilliant, on their terms.

His musing was interrupted as Shiro came to report to his father. "Twenty-three injuries, Otosan. Four deaths so far."

It took all of his energy to keep Kotetsu from falling out of the tree. Most commanders would give their eyes for casualty reports like that.

The Oyabun smiled a smile that was tainted with the bittersweet. He couldn't say he was happy, as much of his village had been destroyed, and many of his people hurt or killed. But given the circumstance, things were about as good as they could be expected to be.

"Very good, Shiro-chan." Shiro couldn't suppress a subtle twitch of the eye as he registered the childish nickname.

"Tell Ryotaro-san to take the people to the safe zone near the edge of the river valley. And get your team-mates together."

"We aren't returning to the village, Otosan?" His voice betrayed a glimmer of suppressed anger; anger at so easily being run out of their ancestral home.

"It's not safe yet, not so close to Cloud country. And besides, you and I wouldn't be returning home anyway."

"Why not?"

"Because, we're going to be returning to Konoha with the Leaf shinobi to discuss an alliance agreement with the Hokage."

* * *

Deidara awoke with a headache and hazy after images of his fight with the Oyabun of the Hidden Wave. He hated these so called "perfect clones". If they were so perfect, why the hell did he feel everything it felt? Stabbing yourself in the eye _hurt, _for fucks sake. And why the hell did his head always feel like it had been in a meat grinder after the link was broken. He turned to regard his companion. At the moment, the other man was cooking… something, over a small fire he had made. Judging by the light in the sky, it was nearing dusk. 

Tobi noticed him then for the first time. "Did you kill him, Deidara-sempai?"

Deidara scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Neh, I get the feeling that last jutsu interfered with the explosion, yeah. I don't think I got him."

Tobi winced. "You know the Leader doesn't like failure."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

Kiba was bored. Immensely so, in fact. Patrol duty tended to be that way, unfortunately. But why the hell did they have an elite ANBU like him on patrol duty? He didn't buy that whole bullshit about 'increased tensions' between the great countries. It may be true, but it was no excuse to relegate someone as great as him to such a menial task. He should be out assassinating someone, or at least on that mission with Naruto. Just thinking about it pissed him off. It sounded fun. 

Akamaru's whines moved him from out of his seething and into alert mode. Cautiously, he sniffed the air. He smelt blood. Lots of it. And moving fast this way. And he smelled something else, something familiar that he couldn't quite place. He quickly made himself scarce in a nearby tree, suddenly feeling much more excited about this routine patrol mission.

But his excitement turned to confusion and then horror as the bearer of the smell came into view.

"Sakura-san?"

"Kiba!"

Well, at least she seemed excited to see him, though he was a little offended at the lack of honorific; they may have been casual friends, but she didn't know him that well. He was about to comment, when he noted the lump on her back. He stiffened immediately.

Naruto, on the other hand, _was _a close friend, and the amount of blood he smelt around him was more suited to a dead man than one needing medical attention. And, try as he might, he couldn't catch the tell-tale sounds of breathing.

"What happened to Naruto-kun?"

"He needs to get to the hospital, help me carry him! For the love of god, I've been doing it for two days!"

Nothing else needed to be said. Without a word, Kiba rushed to her side, gingerly removing the hibernating blond from her shoulders and placing him in a similar position around his own. Checking that his package was secure, he rushed off in the direction of the hospital, an exhausted but unabated Sakura trailing not far behind.

* * *

A/N: Well, this more or less concludes the climax of the first arc of Densetsu no Sannin: Repetition. Next chapter will be the conclusion (of the first arc, not the story; story is just in it's infancy, and there might be a sequel) of the first arc and a lead in to a mini-arc that will bridge this one with the next major one; did I just give too much away? Oh well, whatever... 

I've added a "latest chapter section to my profile, which I can and will update in thirty seconds every few days or so, so if you want to know when the next chapter is just hit up the profile.

Thanks to JebasHat and Narutof4natic for volunteering to Beta. I've worked out a system where they'll switch off chapters, hopefully keeping the workload reasonable. (And sorry again f4natic!)

And super duper thanks of a lifetime to whoever ShangDOh is for recommending this fic on Actually, I had been hoping someone would, but didn't really want to say anything because that would be shilling, and shilling is wrong. And thanks to anyone else who happens to recommend this fic on other sites; I'd thank you personally, but as I don't really frequent any sites other than Narutofan I wouldn't know.

Anyway, please read and review, regardless of what you have to say. All feedback is welcome, even if somebody else has already said what you felt like pointing out. One of the reasons I love reviews is because it creates a personal connection with the people reading this fic; without your feedback, it can feel like I'm talking to myself.

Peace.

P.S; can't stop listening to Closer by Nine Inch Nails.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not my creation.** **This disclaimer is lame and I don't care.  
**

* * *

Chapter 9

Tsunade hated waking up in puddles of her own drool. Aside from being disgusting, it was downright humiliating in the event that someone came to wake her up, which, given her work hours and general lack of enthusiasm for waking up at five-thirty to get a head start on her paperwork, was a common occurrence. She had to thank whatever gods of luck and fortune existed that it was usually Shizune who woke her on mornings like this.

Unfortunately, this less than orthodox sleep schedule had become routine since the beginnings of the political pissing contests that marked the early stages of the shinobi conflict. Between the increased communications with the Sand, tightening border security, increase in missions, and outright _bitching _at some of Konoha's wayward allies (the grass, the rain, and the waterfall, to name a few), her already massive workload had nearly doubled, and she found herself working until she literally collapsed at her desk. It had even gotten to the point where she would stir just at the sound of her soft-spoken assistant's footsteps coming up the stairs.

But this morning, unlike the prior three, was entirely different. For while Shizune normally tried her best to pad up the stairs quietly (and consequently slowly), this morning she had no time for such a courtesy. She burst into the room, shocking her master awake and causing her to knock over a cold cup of tea from the previous night (Tsunade had managed to kick her drinking on the job; her drinking habit as a whole, however, was another matter).

"Tsunade-sama!"

Frantically, Tsunade tried to make herself presentable, the whole time glaring daggers at her excitable assistant.

"What?"

"It's Naruto-kun!" Before she could speak further, however, she collapsed, apparently exhausted. Tsunade crossed her hands and waited patiently for her to catch her breath.

But, despite her outward air of calm, alarms were going off in her head at the mention of his name. His was supposed to be a mission lasting several weeks, possibly months. For him to be back in less than a week couldn't possibly be anything but disastrous.

"He's not due back for weeks. What do you mean?"

Shizune gulped in one last mouthful of precious oxygen before continuing. "There's been an emergency! He's in Unit-C now!"

At the utterance of Unit-C, Tsunade nearly leapt from her desk. She didn't have time to consider how the critical mission in the Fern had gone, or how Naruto had made the multiple day journey alive. There was only one reason for someone to be in Unit-C; severe hemorrhaging and ruptured organs.

Without a word, she rushed past Shizune and out the door of her office, hoping desperately that she would make it to the hospital in time.

* * *

The trip home had been, thankfully, a relatively uneventful one for Sasuke. It had been free of traps, surprise attacks, and, perhaps most importantly, surprise encounters with people trying to steal his wallet. 

And on top of it all, he got to keep his job! It was that feeling of utmost relief one gets when finding out that they're not totally screwed that put a small smirk on his face as he made his way to the gates of the hidden leaf. He made his way over the tops of the walls, opting to skip what would surely be a tedious screening process with the gate guard at the bottom. It wasn't exactly something the Hokage encouraged, but it was tolerated from ANBU agents, who often had to operate in complete secrecy.

Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding when he surveyed the village; everything seemed in order, at least superficially. But the relief turned to agitation as he considered the source of his angst, or rather, lack thereof. An uneasy feeling had been growing within him for the majority of his journey through the Fire Country, one that he couldn't pin down and that as a trained ninja he couldn't lightly ignore. It didn't help that his history with Itachi had given him vast experience with 'bad vibes'.

He shook it off, reasoning that it wasn't getting him anywhere but further from his comfortable apartment, his anime, and his shocu. He continued on, arriving at the Hokage's tower in, he was happy to note, record time. Another accomplishment for his personal record book (yes, he does keep one)!

Sasuke walked casually over to the Chuunin who had the detestable (in his opinion) duty of being Tsunade's doorman; or in this case, doorwoman.

"I'm here to see Tsuande-sama. It's regarding a high priority mission." Of course, he failed to mention that he was reporting back on a successful mission, something that could wait; he was hoping that his cryptic and urgent sounding business would save him the general discomfort and boredom of having to wait around for Tsunade.

"I'm sorry ANBU-san, but she's not in right now."

Sasuke immediately felt a pall of boredom overcome him; generally, the Hokage being "out" meant that he had time to memorize every single piece of literature in the waiting room with his Sharingan before she got around to actually meeting with him.

"When will she be back?"

The Chuunin guard glanced at him nervously. "Um…"

Sasuke arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "'Um' what?"

"Well… we're not exactly sure. Of when she'll be back, that is."

Sasuke twitched. The uneasy feeling he had managed to push down sprang back up again, and he unconsciously fingered the hilt of his Kusanagi in agitation.

"What do you mean you don't know when she'll be back?"

His answer came not from the increasingly nervous Chuunin girl before him, but from a familiar voice that came from behind.

"It would appear that the Hokage left her office in quite a rush, Sasuke-kun; such a rush, in fact, that she didn't even leave word with her assistants as to where she was off to."

Sasuke just smirked; it was impossible for Kakashi to make a regular entrance; wave, bow, how are you, how's the family. None of that had ever been a part of Kakashi's greeting. It was as though he relished catching people off guard or in awkward moments, and attempted to do so at every opportunity. Sasuke turned to face the man, who, as far as he could tell (it was difficult to judge, having seen his face only once when he was much younger) hadn't aged a day in eight years.

"You talk like you know where she is, Kakashi."

"I do." He lowered his voice a bit "I just got back from the hospital."

"Not an unusual place for a brilliant medic-nin to be." He spoke nonchalantly, trying to hide his uneasiness both from himself and from Kakashi.

"Sasuke… this is serious. It's about Naruto."

Sasuke smirked. "Did the baka finally get himself killed?"

He paled at the cold, one eyed glare he received from Kakashi for his less than tactful commentary. "What? I was just kidding…"

"Given the circumstance, it was a very bad joke."

"You don't mean…"

Kakashi cut him off. "No, he's not dead, but he may or may not wind up that way. It's too soon to tell."

Kakashi paused, gauging Sasuke's reaction. He had always been a bit guarded around his once and current student, or at least since the betrayal; there were still scars from that wound. Ever since then, Kakashi had never felt comfortable with exactly what went on in Sasuke's head; was he repentant? Did he regret his actions and was he truly making amends? Or was he just using the Hidden Leaf and his supposed friends the way he had Orochimaru? These questions plagued him whenever he was around the boy and a lot of the time he wasn't (because, whether he'd admit it or not, Kakashi cared for the well being, physical and mental, of his student), and it only rubbed salt in his mental wounds for him to know that there was more he could have and should have done to prevent that tragic course of events.

But now, he could truly appreciate the look on Sasuke's face; shock, disbelief, worry. It gladdened him, in a manner that he noted was downright morbid, to know that Sasuke was human and did in fact have a place in his heart for his friends.

"In any event, I'm sure you'll want to come to the hospital to speak to Tsunade when she's done"

Sasuke was too stunned for more than a subdued, one word answer. "Right…".

* * *

Tsunade wiped her brow of sweat, panting during a brief respite in her rotation; she had five minutes before she had to replace one of the medical assistants in the rotation, and she intended to make the most of it. She had chosen one far wall of Medical Unit-C to crash in. Even during rest periods, she had to be close on hand in case of emergency. 

She grimaced, thinking of the situation she had stumbled in on; it was definitely no way to start off a day. She was shocked awake by the revelation that the young man she loved like a son was critically wounded, and winded herself running to the hospital only to find out that the situation was far worse than she imagined.

First off, it was nothing short of a miracle that he was alive. The medical jutsu that had kept him alive (she had made a mental note to try and learn this technique, or at least replicate it), miraculous as it was, gave out almost as soon as an exhausted Kiba and Sakura stumbled through the doors of the hospital. The head medic on hand, a talented member of the unit with years of field experience, had watched, morbidly fascinated, as the seal that was suppressing the young man's metabolism faded away, and he was thrust back into the waking world in much the same way he had faded from it; moments from death.

From that moment onward, every second had been a fight for the boy's life. Just getting him to Unit-C alive had been a struggle in and of itself. Once in, they had begun the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique and sent for Tsunade, who, along with Shizune, had by far the most experience with the technique.

_"If the kid gets out of this alive and well, the first thing I'm going to do is punch him. Good and hard."_

She sighed, thinking about the dire straits the kid had put himself in as she looked him over from her seat at the wall. Of course, knowing him, she had a suspicion that he really hadn't been thinking very hard about his own survival when he had gotten this wound. It was pushing the limits even of a powerful healing technique like the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration; even at this point, when the operation seemed to be going well, Tsunade knew that his survival was balancing on a knife's edge. One small mistake, either on the part of the healers or those designated to keep him stable while he was worked on, could easily compound into a fatal error. On the one hand, it would take an incredibly long time to mend this damage, and leave him physically weak for a long time if it did work. On the other, the task of keeping him stable, made difficult by the magnitude of the wound combined with the myriad of smaller wounds across his body, was made even more perilous by the length of the operation; the longer it went on, the more tired the involved medic-nin became, and the more tired they became, the more likely they were to make mistakes, something Naruto could ill afford.

And of course, it didn't help that one of her finest medic-nin was currently unable to do anything more than worry herself to death in the waiting room. She was too exhausted from her three day nonstop journey to do anything but endanger Naruto if she tried to step into the rotation. And Shizune, though able to contribute, was at least partially drained from a long shift the night before.

"Tsunade-sama"

She looked up, semi startled from having been roused from a light sleep; she was more exhausted than she cared to think about, given what she had to do.

It was one of the medic-nin; his name escaped her at the moment.

"Hai?"

"It's your turn again."

Tsunade sighed; the short break had done little more than to remind her of just how exhausted she was. Wearily, she got up from the wall she had crashed against, and took her place in the circle.

* * *

Sasuke was abnormally subdued on the short trip to the hospital. Not that he was normally overly talkative, but he was usually alert enough to not run into people or trip on the sidewalk (tripping, by the way, is the ultimate faux pas among a people who pride themselves on hanging from ceilings and walking on water). But his mind, usually sharp and alert, was nowhere near his physical body at the moment. It was on his friend; somewhere, at some point in the not so distant past, Sasuke had come to the conclusion that Naruto was immortal. Well, not immortal so much as it was impossible for him to die before making his dreams come true. In retrospect, it was kind of a silly and uncharacteristically optimistic thing of him to do, but his blond friend was just so damned convincing. 

For one, he was just too stubborn _not _to make it happen.

"_Even if it took him twenty years, he would find every hold-out in this pathetic village and personally win them over to his cause."_

And having the Kyuubi was no small boon to that goal in itself. Sasuke had seen it in action before; it had healed what should have been a fatal wound right before his eyes. Sasuke had managed to suppress the useless emotion of envy years ago, but he still felt its prick at the back of his mind when he thought about that immense power. Not the baggage that went along with it, of course. He wouldn't wish that on anyone; except maybe Itachi.

Regardless, Sasuke had taken one impression about Naruto away from their fight at the Valley of the End; that, with the aid of the Kyuubi, it was highly unlikely that he would die in combat.

But that was just the problem now; from his brief questioning of Kakashi, Sasuke had gleaned that whatever the enemy had done to him, it had not only caused heavy internal damage, but somehow interfered with the Kyuubi's ability to heal him. And of course, the first thing Sasuke's brilliant mind picked up on was that one didn't just "accidentally" interfere with the workings of a seal as complicated as the Four Part Seal that kept Kyuubi in check; whoever had done it must have known about the Kyuubi. Silently (because he would never be caught openly admitting an emotional connection to someone in Konoha; he had appearances to keep up, after all), Sasuke lamented for his friend, who couldn't seem to escape the curse of the kyuubi's reputation and the draw its power had on the greedy.

It wasn't long before they reached the hospital. Sasuke despised this building more than any in Konoha; more than the Hokage's office, more than the shinobi prison, more than his old home or his shitty apartment. Was it the memories he had of the place? It seemed like every encounter with Itachi since he was seven ended with him in the hospital. And each time Itachi put him there, he felt worse in his heart than he ever could in his body. That must be why he hated the place; just thinking about it exemplified everything he despised about himself. He was reminded of his fear, his weakness; his inability to even _touch _his bastard older brother, much less harm him. The place reeked of it.

In fact, he realized, his loathing of this place was so great that it had stopped him from visiting it in the past when he ought have, both to support comrades and take care of his own body. Many a time he had asked Sakura to make a house call for him when it would have been far more convenient for the both of them had he just gone to the hospital. But each time she happily obliged, as she knew his idiosyncrasies and knew that he would never get _any _medical attention if it was up to him to actually take the initiative and drag his own ass to the hospital.

But he wouldn't let his mild phobia stop him now. If there was anyone he would go through mild discomfort for, it was Naruto. Because Naruto had saved him, and it was the least he could do to pay him back to simply be there for him.

_"Besides."_ He justified to himself. _"With the lady I need to see occupied here, it's not like I have anywhere better to be."_

His skin tightened uncomfortably as he walked into the main waiting area and made his way over to the bored looking medic working the counter. She gave him a half interested once-over as he approached. It wasn't entirely unusual to have fully cloaked and masked ANBU to come calling, at least not in the Hidden Leaf.

"Who're you here to see?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." The reply was a little stiff, mostly because of the immense unease Sasuke felt at just being in the place.

"Hmmm." She consulted a list of what Sasuke assumed was patients and corresponding room numbers.

"I'm sorry, he's in Unit-C; emergency internal surgery."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance under his mask. _"Old news bitch."_

"So…no update on his condition?"

"I'm afraid not. You can feel free to wait here until we do, though."

Sasuke sighed. That wasn't at all reassuring, and he didn't relish the prospect of sitting and stewing in the waiting room, but he had promised himself he would see this through. Resignedly, he looked for a chair.

Upon inspecting the room, he found just the right one. Not because of its proximity to the bathroom, or the magazine rack, or any of the other myriad of items of infinite significance that populate a hospital waiting room. Rather, it was perfect because of its proximity to a certain pink haired medic who looked incredibly small and absolutely pathetic at the moment.

Kakashi, who had, as usual, disappeared somewhere between the entrance and the front desk, appeared behind him.

"Take care of Sakura, will you?"

"That's what I was planning on."

Kakashi crinkled his visible eye at Sasuke.

"I was just being cautious. You don't exactly have a history of treating her delicately."

Sasuke huffed at the reference to one of his many mistakes. When were people going to let crap he had done when he was thirteen go? Thirteen year olds do stupid things every day, as far as he was concerned. Kakashi, of course, just smiled a little before leaving the room. As much as he wanted to be there for Naruto, he, as one of the village's top Jounin, had other places to be.

Sasuke scratched the back of his head nervously as he removed his ANBU mask. The decent part of his conscious had always made it difficult to start conversations with the girl. He supposed it was his penance for rejecting her in such an unseemly manner. Quietly, he took the seat next to her, clearing his voice slightly to announce his presence. She nodded slightly, but otherwise didn't acknowledge his awkward greeting.

"So…" he began. "Are things going to be this awkward between us forever?"

Despite her miserable condition, the corner of Sakura's mouth tugged up a bit. She couldn't help it; just thinking how horrible any date with Uchiha Sasuke would be for other involved parties made her want to bust out laughing. His eccentricities, including his awkwardness in emotional situations, were downright adorable. In many ways, he hadn't grown up at all since the Chuunin Exams. He had only regained his sanity and gotten even hotter than before (a feat she would have claimed impossible eight or nine years ago).

"If they do, can you honestly say it's my fault?"

Sasuke's body un-tensed a little, relieved that she was at least in a receptive enough mood to talk to him. For her part, she was just relieved that someone was there to share her worry and hopelessness. Word about Naruto's injury had not yet gotten around, and he had had painfully few visitors; three, in fact, counting her. And one of those was sitting right next to her.

"So… are you alright?"

Sakura sniffed and looked up at him. The answer was immediately apparent; she had been crying. In fact, she had been crying a lot it seemed. And she obviously hadn't slept or washed in days. Her face was gaunt and dark circles rimmed with red lined her eyes.

_"Has she even eaten?"_

"…guess not."

"Tsunade-sama says I'm not even fit to help with the surgery." She chuckled dryly, both at her own foolishness and Sasuke's predictable lack of tact.

If she had been thinking, she would have made Konohamaru or Kotetsu carry him, so she could be fresh enough to actually do something other than sit in the corner sniffling because she was out of tears and generally wasting space. But she hadn't been thinking; she had been in an absolute panic at the time.

_"Ok, so conversation is a no go." _

He wasn't having much inspiration trying to comfort her at the moment. On a whim, he decided to see if he could tend to her physical needs.

"Sakura… when was the last time you ate?"

She had to think about that one for a moment. Her mind had been so focused on Naruto for the last few days that, even upon returning, she had forgotten to get anything to eat. But sure enough, as soon as food was actually mentioned she noticed the gnawing hunger and total exhaustion in every limb.

"…It was before Naruto was injured."

"How long ago was that?"

"About three days ago."

"Ahh." Without another word, Sasuke got up to leave, and Sakura didn't have to ask him to know that he was going to get her something to eat, something she was extremely grateful for.

_"Except that there's no good reason that you can't get it yourself. You're a stronger girl than this!"_

There it was again. That voice in her head that constantly ridiculed her, pointing out the flaws in everything from her appearance to her life decisions. When she was younger, it had simply been an outlet for subverting her more rebellious and confrontational side. But at some point it had evolved into something more of a personal critic, and what was worse was that she could almost never rebut its judgments. When it said that there was no good reason for her choices, it was generally right.

Now was a perfect example of her inner voice pointing out the serious flaws in her decision making. There was no good reason for her to get this worked up over Naruto. Sure, he was her best friend. And he was undergoing critical and lifesaving surgery that had iffy prospects for success. But she hadn't even taken the opportunity to rest from her marathon journey; it hadn't even crossed her mind, nor had the thought that she was in poor enough condition to be hospitalized herself. The first thing she had done when she entered the hospital was to demand access to unit-C. She fully intended to do the surgery on her own too, if she had too. She had seen the work some of the more mediocre medics produced, and wasn't about to trust his life to it. It had taken Shizune and three orderlies to convince her that she would only get herself and Naruto killed if she didn't calm down and think about what she was doing. When she realized that she couldn't do anything more to help him, she just grabbed a seat in the waiting room and proceeded to cry until she was out of tears. She would have passed out from exhaustion, but the adrenaline mixed with her own resolve not to fall asleep until she knew if he was better or dead kept her going.

Why did she put herself through so much for him? Was it because he had had such a crappy life and he at least deserved a friend who would do this for him? Or was it her own guilt at being so distant from him during the Academy years, when he needed a friend so badly. The annoyingly perceptive voice of logic told her that the real reason was something more personal and altogether more monumental, but if Sakura could do anything well, it was lie to herself, and at that moment she quietly pretended she couldn't hear her inner voice of criticism.

At that moment, Sasuke walked in, a tray of hospital food in hand. Sakura smiled and accepted gratefully, shrugging off the blanket she had wrapped herself in and allowing Sasuke to see her more fully. She had ditched the upper portion of her standard Jounin uniform somewhere along the way, and was wearing the black tank top she normally wore underneath her uniform. Between the sweat and the rain it had absorbed, it clung to her skin in ways that left little to the imagination. It didn't escape Sasuke that, even disheveled as she was, she was beautiful. Vaguely, he wanted to kick his past self for rejecting her advances. But his voice of reason told him that the two of them would never have worked out anyway. She wasn't what he needed. Not that he knew what it was he needed, but he was sure it wasn't her.

"When was the last time you slept?" It seemed like a good ice breaker. Tension had settled back in while he was away apparently.

"About as long ago as I last ate." Sometime between his leaving and returning, she had suddenly remembered her appetite. She was almost through the modest plate of food.

"Have you considered getting some sleep?"

"Not until I know how Naruto's doing."

Sasuke was more than a little struck by her dedication. Just what was her relationship with Naruto? Had they been having an affair behind his back?

"…that could be a long time."

"I don't care. It's the least I can do for him."

Sasuke looked concerned. "Sakura… you need to settle down. There's no reason to beat yourself up like this, even if you are worried."

She looked offended. "I'm not! Even if I wanted to fall asleep, I couldn't."

"What about not eating?"

She paused. He had her there. "I… just kind of forgot. I had gotten so used to not eating over the last few days… damnit…" She threw herself into his arms, crying fresh tears and making him extremely uncomfortable (he wasn't entirely comfortable with overt displays of emotion, and had absolutely no idea what do with a crying girl).

"I… It just doesn't seem to matter, Sasuke. All I can think about is watching it happen and all the things I could have done different and maybe he'd be alright now and it's killing me." Her speech was rushed and a little hard to understand through her choked voice. But, Sasuke noted, he had succeeded in breaking the ice. Maybe now he could get some of the answers he wanted.

"So, are you ready to tell me what happened?"

She wiped her eyes, nodding as she did so. And then she proceeded to tell him everything. Probably more than he wanted to know, but he at least had the social grace to know that everything she told him she must have wanted and needed to tell him, and he should just shut up and look interested. She started with the first day they left, and told all the details of their journey; from reaching the river valley, to that night by the campfire. Meeting Shiro and fighting the bandits in the forest; the Hidden Fern village and the subsequent attack. Finally, she got to their surprise operation against the cloud-nin, and Naruto's resultant injury. At this point in the narration, she began to choke up again, but somehow, for the first time, Sasuke knew exactly what to do to keep her from breaking down again. She continued then, narrating how she had, through liberal use of blood replenishment pills (which, Sasuke noted, was in most circumstances an incredibly bad idea; it was a miracle it had worked out), kept him alive long enough for the hibernation seal to be activated. He then listened, shocked, as she recounted her nonstop journey back to the leaf. He was attentive the whole time, not bothering to mention that what she had done was a serious violation of medic protocol and probably a violation of her specific mission orders. She didn't need to be reminded of that yet.

"What did you drink?"

"I just drank the rain as I went most of the time."

_"Wow. Impressive." _

"God… I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't make it."

Sasuke perked up hearing that. She apparently didn't understand the implications of everything she was saying. Or maybe she just didn't care.

"You really care about Naruto, don't you?"

She chuckled a bit. "Of course I do. He's always been there for me. When you left..." A slight tension filled the air. "He… knew exactly what to say and what to do to make me not feel like such shit. Even when he left, and I started training with Tsunade-sama and couldn't get out much, just knowing that he was out there and training hard to fulfill his promise to me; it made even my worst days better. And when he left the second time, and I was angry about him leaving me behind, I knew it was because he was trying to protect me. Even though I hated it, I appreciated the consideration. And since then… he's always been there."

It felt good to say that; it helped sort through some of the confusion in her mind. She felt this strongly because of how good he had been to her, and how much she would hate not only to have him die before she could properly thank him, but she wanted to have the opportunity to be as good a friend to him as he had been to her.

Sasuke coughed, interrupting her train of thought. "So, are you guys more than friends now or something?"

That question shattered the reasonable and perfectly non-romantic vision of their relationship she had been building up. All the questions she had asked herself earlier came rushing back to her, and only one thought managed to escape her lips.

"_NO!" _It was an emphatic, sharp whisper, one that could be heard throughout the small room even though it was technically a very small noise. She smiled embarrassedly as the nurse running the desk gave her an odd look. It took her several moments to regain her composure.

"Naruto and I aren't romantically involved. We're just best friends, and that means a lot for shinobi."

Sasuke looked at her oddly. She was acting like a giddy schoolgirl on her first crush. "I was just wondering. You're worrying over him a lot...it seemed like a reasonable question." He paused. "But reeally... you don't have to be so insistent about it. What about Naruto is so repulsive?"

Sakura blushed. "Nothing, he's handsome and all, in a kind of goofy way; and nice."

"Sounds like superficially good boyfriend material to me. Not that I would know, of course."

"Yeah, but there's more to it than that; we've been friends so long, it would be too weird."

Sasuke immediately interrupted her. "That's a stupid reason."

His commentary earned him a glare and a very near slap from the irate medic. "I wasn't finished. Shut up."

He smiled amusedly. "Go on."

She took a deep breath, searching every reason she had for not pursuing a relationship with Naruto for one she thought Sasuke would accept. Honestly, they weren't well organized in her head, but there were enough of them to convince her that they wouldn't do well together.

"It's just… I'm not ready. And we'd be bad for one another."

His eyebrow arched at the first part. "It's been eight years, Sakura."

"And I'm still not ready to be hurt again. Whose fault do we think that is?"

Sasuke winced. Of course, she had to blame this all on him. "Naruto would never hurt you like I did…"

"Not on purpose." She didn't have to look at him to see the disappointment in his eyes. "I know that sounds stupid… I don't know. There's more to being in love than having a superficial connection, you know? There was a time I thought I might have romantic feelings for him… but he was so damn focused on you, and on making everything right again, he never even gave me a second glance. After he left to go retrieve you, those feelings kind of died down. We were working together almost every day at that point, so I chalked it up to propinquity and moved on with my life."

Sasuke didn't speak after that. Behind his mask of indifference, he was totally shocked. So that was why she was afraid of being hurt by Naruto; he had already hurt her, throwing away something they could have had in a foolish attempt to somehow undo what Sasuke had done, and he suspected that it had affected Sakura more than she was letting on. To make her happy again, he had unwittingly ignored the happiness they could have had together. Irony at it's finest, something Sasuke could appreciate.

_"Ha, that shut him up."_

At the same time, Sakura was mulling over that time in her head; she had been vulnerable. She was still heartbroken and not quite over Sasuke and the only girl in her age group with absolutely _no _intimate experiences with boys, and all of a sudden came this handsome (if incredibly poorly dressed) and boisterous and talented young man bursting back into her life. And if Naruto had been perceptive and persistent enough, he could have had anything he wanted from her. In a way, she was thankful to him for not taking advantage of her emotionally weakened state, but she was still disappointed. At some point after Naruto's leaving, Sakura had an epiphany. What ever immature feelings Naruto had harbored for her had evolved into something akin to a platonic love; deep and binding, but something that would ultimately never result in a romantic relationship. And, more importantly, she realized, they were bad for each other. She needed someone more structured and predictable; someone that didn't leave the village for a year and a half without telling her to retrieve a love that she had accepted could never be. And he needed someone who could put up with his calamities and maybe calm him down a notch; someone like Hinata.

_"Speak of the devil…"_

It wasn't really a phrase that fit the shy and kind heir to the Hyuuga clan name. She was calm, soft spoken, and, based on Sakura's experiences from both working with her in the medical unit and being a semi-close friend of hers, one of the most warm-hearted people in the world. And of course, she still had an immense crush on Naruto (Sakura didn't want to admit that Hinata was in love with him; for one, it would be an absolute tragedy of unrequited love, and for two, thinking about it gave her an uncomfortable feeling that she never enjoyed thinking about). Given that, it was only natural that she would be the first to come visit him. Apparently, it had begun raining hard sometime soon, and Sakura smiled amusedly at Hinata's feeble attempts to retain her dignity and cover up the fact that she had run to the hospital so fast she had forgotten an umbrella.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan."

Her voice was soft, but held a strong undercurrent suited to someone who was, essentially, the heir to the royal family of Konoha. For that was exactly what the Hyuuga were; though the Hokage was the chief executive, the Hyuuga were the most influential clan on the council, and politically speaking it wasn't a stretch to say they held as much overall power as the Hokage. Sakura was also pleased to note that she had gotten over her stutter, though it would occasionally come back in a slight way if she was forced into an awkward situation; basically, anything involving Naruto.

Sasuke gave her only a passing glance as she took her place next to Sakura and began to ask her questions about Naruto and what had happened. He had never been very close to Hinata. Rumor had it that there had been a lot of bad blood between the Uchiha and the Hyuuga back before Itachi solved that problem, and as such he never really felt obligated to get to know her. Aside from that, she was never useful for his goals and had no discernable personality, at least in public.

"_A bit like me." _He noted dryly.

And she was plain looking. She was wearing a white yukata, as was normal for members of the Hyuuga clan when off duty. It was pinned up at the sleeves and legs, indicating that she had quite literally dropped whatever she was doing and run to the hospital. Aside from her blue-black hair and admittedly fascinating pale lavender eyes, she wasn't a whole lot to look at. Modest breasts and the usual lithe form of a Kunoichi were both hidden by the modesty of her clothing, further detracting from his interest in her.

But, he at least had to admire how well she was taking this. In typical Hyuuga fashion, she allowed no emotion but concern for Sakura show on her face, even though Sasuke knew she was in love with Naruto and knew she was as desperately worried, if not more so, as Sakura.

_"Poor girl doesn't stand a chance."_

Of course, being a close friend of the talkative blond meant that he was well aware of his feelings for Sakura, and the significance of what he had learned from her in her state of emotional vulnerability wasn't lost on him. But playing matchmaker wasn't something Sasuke did; if they got together, he wouldn't have anything to do with it.

He had to suppress a laugh at the ever expanding line of unrequited love; it could only get better if it turned out Hinata had a secret admirer.

A loud argument coming from the front desk disturbed Sasuke's brooding, and he looked up to see what was causing the rather annoying disturbance.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T BRING WEAPONS IN HERE? IT'S A FREAKING NINJA HOSPITAL!"

For one, the kid was loud on a level that would have given a younger Naruto a run for his money. His hair was stark white, long, and unkempt, and his dress was fairly standard ninja attire for a genin; brown knee length shorts with black sandals and a forest green long sleeve shirt. The weapons in question were too numerous to count; he had matching pairs of shuriken holsters and kunai pouches on each side, presumably to carry more of the deadly projectiles. Hanging loosely from his hands, secured by a chain around his wrist and a series of fine chains connected to the fingers were vicious looking Neko-te, which extended roughly five to six inches from the edge of the knuckles. And to top it off, a pair of sheaths strapped to his back concealed blades of an unknown length (for it was common ninja practice to conceal short blades in long sheaths, and use the remaining space to conceal surprises such as flash powder or some kind of irritant). Sasuke briefly wondered if he was the bastard offspring of Jiraiya. But he had seen the kid before, and vaguely realized that he did in fact have parents in the village…

It struck him where he had seen this kid as he turned his attention to his two peers. They were Naruto's students. The loud one was Shiba Ryotaro, of the recently arrived Shiba clan. They had come from the countries west of the Wind Country some time in the past five years, refugees from some political firestorm that Konoha had only a vague picture of. Making them a part of the village had been a very near thing, and many on the council (including the Hyuuga) didn't trust them. But they were a strong and numerous shinobi clan, and the pressing need for military strength had overridden the mistrust of the strange clan. But, just because they were made a part of the village did not mean they were accepted by the general populace; outside of work settings they were largely shunned, and it was rumored that some vendors even refused them service.

The other two were more conventional. The other boy, with longish black hair and dark glasses, was Nara Akira, younger cousin to Shikamaru. He, along with his companion, whose eyes gave her away as a Hyuuga, had the common sense _not _to come equipped like they were going to rob the place. The only thing marking them as shinobi were their hitai-ate, which, unlike their companion, they wore in a relatively normal fashion (his own was tilted such that it brushed the top of his right eyebrow and covered his right ear; it was reminiscent of Kakashi, except that Kakashi did it to conserve chakra and Shiba did it to look cool). Sasuke decided it was time to diffuse the situation before the idiot got himself arrested. He slipped on his ANBU mask and made his way to the front desk. He nodded at the loudmouth, indicating that he would deal with him, and the nurse just nodded, apparently anxious to get him off her hands.

With a speed and grace befitting the heir of the Uchiha, he grabbed the young man's wrist from behind, twisting it around and back behind his head. He pressed forward, making it impossible for the younger ninja to twist out of his grip. With his other hand, he secured Ryotaro's other wrist, which was already reaching back to strike his unknown assailant with the attached Neko-te.

"See! This is why you need to let me have weapons in here! I'm being freaking assaulted!"

_"Stop being an uncooperative brat and hand her your weapons, or I might actually have to arrest you."_

Grudgingly (he had little choice in the matter), Ryotaro nodded, and, once freed from Sasuke's grasp, began removing the multitude of holsters, pouches, and sheaths. By the time he was done, the nurse had a veritable arsenal sitting on her desk. Sasuke motioned to the more reasonable students to join him and Sakura in a corner of the waiting room, Ryotaro following shortly behind, and complaining about "Nonsensical regulations". The Hyuuga girl, whose name turned out to be Naomi, gave a short bow to Hinata before turning to Sasuke.

"How is Naruto-sensei?"

Sasuke sighed, getting irritated at having to hear and tell the same non-substantive answer repeatedly.

"Nobody knows yet. Have a seat if you want to wait."

And so they did. They waited hours into that evening, accepting the blankets and pillows offered for those who intended to stay the night (Hinata and Naomi were the only ones who wound up having to leave; they were needed at the clan compound for something or other which the Hyuuga elders considered monumentally important).

At some point in the late evening, a surprise visit was payed them by Takashi and Shiro, who were anxious to see how Naruto was doing, and not so anxious to receive the same tired answer of "nobody knows yet". Sakura for one was thrilled to hear that they had accepted Naruto's proposal of alliance, and knew he would be too, when he finally woke up. But it had been a bad idea to pursue that train of thought; just thinking about his situation caused her to sink back into her familiar depression.

Most all of them, except Sakura, had drifted off to sleep by the time midnight rolled around. She couldn't sleep, and not only for Naruto's sake; she was too busy trying to figure herself out. Sakura had always been an emotional person, but the degree to which she cared for and worried over Naruto was something new, even to her. It had pushed her into a complete betrayal of her ethics as a medical ninja; she had left a company in need to rescue one man. And, were it not for an extraordinary coincidence, he would have died anyway. In effect, she would have sacrificed lives, all for an unatainable goal.

And what scared her most was that she didn't give a fuck. If she took a moment to be honest with herself, she realized that it really didn't matter to her if several of the nameless chuunin on the mission died when her presence could have saved them.

_"Those aren't the kinds of thoughts a medic-nin should be thinking."_

_"Shut up."_

She knew she was going to catch shit for this. Demerits, demotions, unpaid suspensions; had she been less talented, she might have been in fear of banishment. But it would all be worth it, if only Naruto…

Her heart skipped a beat as the door that led to Unit-C burst open, and an exhausted looking Shizune stepped out. Sakura would have held her breath, had a million questions not come flooding out of her. Oddly, the first one turned out to be…

"Where's Tsunade?" She was more worried about her impending punishment than she realized.

"Resting."

"And the surgery?" This time, she did hold her breath, terrified of the answer that might come to her.

Shizune wanted to laugh at the look on Sakura's face. She looked like a child waiting to open an interesting looking birthday present. But she figured it would be in poor taste to put her through anymore, and opted simply to smile.

"He's resting now."

That was all Sakura needed to hear. Dead men don't rest, at least in the physical sense. The first genuine smile in what felt like a lifetime graced her lips as she passed out in her chair, finally allowing her exhaustion to overtake her.

* * *

Naruto awoke to the feeling of having been hit on the forehead with a claw hammer. He had one of the worst congestion headaches of his life, and this damned _blinding _light wasn't helping much. He had enough experience waking up in hospitals to know, even before he opened his eyes, where he was; all hospital beds and sheets felt the same. However, he had absolutely no idea how he had gotten there. He had a suspicion, though, that it had either to do with the splitting pain in his head or the burning one in his abdomen; or maybe the welling up in his throat? 

Instinctively, he rolled over as the vomit was ejected from his stomach and throat in to the handy trashcan he knew would be on the right side of his bed (he knew his way around pretty much any hospital room from painful experience, most of which he had gained on his trip with Jiraiya). He was grateful for the mysterious but soft hand that held his hair back as he emptied the contents of his stomach (which turned out to be mostly water) into the trash.

"It's a side effect of all the blood replenishment pills I force fed you. Sorry about that." The voice was soft, and a bit tired, but it took Naruto no time at all to construe who it belonged to; Sakura. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing (unbeknownst to him) the same clothes she had brought him there in, though he could tell she had taken a shower only a short while ago. There was nobody he would rather have visit him in the hospital, and nobody he was more embarrassed to be seen by in this state.

"Neh, that's alright, Sakura-chan. It's better than the alternative." He smiled as he attempted weakly to look up at her. Instead of making him struggle, she pulled him up and into a tight embrace, a small tear flowing down her cheek as she did so. There was so much she wanted to say, and almost all of it got stuck in her throat. She could only summon the wherewithal for one soft utterance.

"It's good to have you back, Naruto."

* * *

A/N: **FIRST THINGS FIRST: FLAME INSURANCE!**

if you're a Hinata fan, keep in mind that any negative attention she receives is from Sasuke, and Sasuke can be a neurotic asshole.

Neko-te are what you would think of as ninja claws, but they come in many variations. A more accurate depiction of the weapons Ryotaro uses can be found by searching google images for Bagh Nakh.

Propinquity is a psychological principle that basically means that people who spend a lot of time near one another are more likely to develop romantic feelings for one another, especially in the absence of others.

It took me a long time to get this chapter out because of Final Fantasy X, a little bit of writer's block, and general laziness. I promise the next one sooner. Really. Plus, it will be extra long and mostly character dialogue, so if you like story development it's the chapter for you.

Reviews, as always, are appreciated. I was extremely pleased with the number of reviews received in connection to last chapter (both reviews for the chapter and reviews for older chapters that seem to have come with it.) I think I'm gonna dance to "Safety Dance" (look it up) when I get one hundred reviews(knocks on wood).

Yeah, I'm a little bit lame.

Review and enjoy.

Peace


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Astonishing, I know.**

Pre A/N: Better than the post A/N by 14, 276 words-Bolded and Italicized text is Inner Sakura talking. Plain italicized text is either a whisper, inner thoughts, or the character placing emphasis on the words. Shouldn't be hard to figure out.

Chapter 10

It was a dull and dreary morning that greeted Tsunade as she attempted unsuccessfully to blink the sleep from her eyes. Apparently, the downpour from the night of Naruto's near death was only the front end of one of the long, drippy storms that marked Konoha's turn from summer to fall. She had to admit though, it was fitting for her mood; she felt exhausted, even though the clock in the small ward she had crashed in indicated that she had slept a good ten hours; morning had already passed. Groggily, she attempted to rise to her feet, avoiding the window for fear of gazing on her reflection. This had been her routine ever since that fateful eve a few nights prior when Takashi had arrived; awake later than she meant too, bolt down breakfast faster than she would have liked, work on paperwork longer than she wanted too, then repeat the process again the next day. 

But, for all her stress, she was immensely relieved at recent developments. It had been a pleasant surprise for her when, at the tail end of one of the most daunting surgeries of her life, she found Takashi waiting in her office and wanting to discuss the alliance she had so desperately sought. And, when Sasuke had told her in brief (she had delayed a more thorough debriefing until she had more time) that he had secured an alliance with the Hidden Wave, it had been like icing on the cake. Everything after that had seemed to fall into place perfectly, with the exception of Momochi's injuries (which had kept him from meeting with the other three interested parties).

Sluggishly, she dragged herself into her office, which was but a few doors down from where she had spent the night. She ordered the Chuunin on duty to get her something for breakfast; she didn't really care what. Her expression soured as she looked at the mounds of paper covering her desk; unrealistic a hope as it was, she had wished that it would somehow have diminished during the night. No such luck.

Tsunade frowned as she perused the reports on her desk. Not because she particularly disliked the content, but because they all said more or less the same thing, and she still had to read them. That in itself wasn't out of the ordinary, but the sheer volume of paper she had been bombarded with since word of the Cloud and Mist attack had gotten around was. It had gotten so bad, in fact, that she had begun to assign perusing and summarizing her backlogged paperwork as D-rank missions. Currently, she had two very disgruntled Genin teams working frantically to help catch her up on the information pouring in from every corner of the continent.

She allowed herself a self-satisfied smile as she reviewed the situation in her head. Her prediction had been spot on. She hadn't been counting on a screw up as big as the botched attack against Fern, but that didn't matter. It only made it easier for the other villages to find a reason to go to war.

A smirk crossed her face as she read the contents of one report from an agent in the Hidden Stone; it was mercifully brief. Apparently, the Earth Country was declaring war on the Hidden Leaf based on a border dispute that predated the Fourth Hokage. It would have been laughable, if they weren't totally serious.

She put the report down, sighing and stretching as she waited for Shizune to enter her office. Surprisingly, her ears had gotten even more attuned to the approach of outsiders during the past few days, despite her utter lack of sleep. She actually had time to make herself somewhat more presentable before the light tap at her door alerted her to her assistant's presence.

"Come in, Shizu-chan."

Quietly, almost timidly, the door was opened and closed just as discreetly. Shizune stood before her then, a look of mild distress on her face.

"What's the matter?"

"ano… your hair, Tsunade-sama; it…"

Ok, so she _thought _she had made herself presentable. Apparently the night had been harder on her than she thought. She raised her hand, signaling for Shizune to stop before she said anything that really set her off. In this state, it wouldn't take much.

"I assume you came in here to tell me more than that I look like crap?"

Shizune blushed. "Hai, Tsunade-sama."

"Well?"

"Um, Naruto-kun is awake, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade's face cracked into a smile. It was the best news she'd heard in days.

"As of when?"

"Yesterday morning."

"…Why wasn't I informed?"

"Ano, you were busy, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade closed her eyes and attempted to squeeze the irritation from her face.

_"Am I really this out of the loop in my own village?"_

"Well, I'm not busy now. By all means, let's go see him, Shizu-chan."

Shizune glanced nervously at the piles of paper stacked on her master's desk.

"Allow me to repeat myself. I'm _not _busy."

Shizune smiled softly when the implication of Tsunade's statement finally kicked in.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

"Neh, what's this game called again?" 

Sakura sighed, brushing aside a strand of pink hair as she did. She was convinced that he was being this dense on purpose just to get her irritated, and unfortunately for her, his strategy was working. She had thought it would be nice of her to bring him something that would expand his strategic boundaries (anything even vaguely related to becoming Hokage tended to immediately pique his interest), but he wasn't being terribly cooperative. She smiled as she prepared to explain the details of the game once again, because she knew that even at his worst he couldn't ruin the moment for her; not when she was in a mood like this.

Naruto had been asleep for days since the success of the surgery, feverish from the extreme overuse of blood replenishment pills. But the general lack of activity hadn't kept Sakura from staying by his side the whole time. She had a desperate desire to be there when he woke up that she couldn't entirely explain, although her continued concern for his well being was part of it. She had managed to at least keep herself groomed using the supplies she kept in her mini-dorm on the hospital campus, which was especially helpful considered the number of visitors who wound up coming by over the several days he was unconscious. Graciously, Tsunade had put off disciplining her until the crisis with Naruto was fully resolved; it probably wasn't the wisest move as a responsible Hokage, but she still had a soft spot for her brightest pupil.

Now though, Sakura was prepared to take anything her boss could throw at her, save of course the death penalty. There was _nothing _Tsunade could do to ruin the veritable high she had been experiencing since Naruto had awoken the morning before. Even though he had spent most of that first day of consciousness with a horrible fever and a relentless case of dry heaving, he still found time to make her laugh and smile, and she went home that night (for the first time in weeks) with the distinct feeling that she'd never been happier. She knew it wasn't real happiness, just intense relief after a week's worth of stress over his condition. But that didn't really matter, because it felt just as wonderful.

"It's called chess, Naruto. It's like Shogi, but they play it in the far west."

He looked confusedly at her. Why she couldn't bring Shogi, which he was able to play, albeit poorly, was a mystery to him. "Ok… so, can I move my little horse guy here?"

"No, he can only move in an 'L' shape. Three squares one direction, one square in another."

"Gotcha'."

He examined the playing board, doing an excellent job of making it look as though he was putting deep thought into his moves. Remarkably, he found it to be just as boring as Shogi.

_"Fuck if I know where this guy's supposed to go…I guess forward is good. She said I have to capture her tall guy eventually."_

His mind made up, he moved the 'little horse guy' in the prescribed manner, deciding particulars on an imaginary coin flip, and sat back to examine Sakura as she made her move. It didn't take her long; she had been noting his moves carefully, and it only took her a second to knock his knight out with her rook.

"Neh, can he do that?"

"Of course he can."

"But he was like, all the way across the freaking board."

"Well rooks can do that, nerd."

"How do I know you aren't making that up? Hey! You could have made up every rule until now! Are you cheating, Sakura-chan?"

She looked appalled for a moment, before becoming _very _offended.

"Why the hell would I make up the rules just to beat some dumb blonde like you, eh? Honestly, do you think before you talk! Why would I lie to you about something as stupid as the rules of a freaking game? DO YOU THINK I'M THAT PETTY?"

Naruto was really too engaged with her to pay much attention to her intensifying nerd-rant. He heard something about checking the rulebook, and he noticed her waving some kind of book in his face, but it didn't occur to him to that the two might be connected. She was wearing a light green spaghetti strap dress (he was sure the style had a name, but he had no idea what it was called; feminine attire had never been very important to him) that ended just above her knee. He thought she looked absolutely gorgeous in it, and didn't even notice the expectant silence or annoyed glare that followed her tirade.

"At what point did you begin to tune me out?"

He snapped to attention quickly at the sound of her voice.

_"Crap. Hope she didn't catch me staring."_

"Erm… something about a rulebook?"

She sighed exasperatedly, rubbing frantically at her temples to relieve the irritation.

"So… why are we doing this again?"

It took all of her willpower to keep from sending him right back into the coma he had recently woken from.

"_You_ said you were bored and wanted something to do."

"Yeah, but this is lame."

"You only think it's lame because you're _losing_."

"No, it's lame because you keep cheating; _just kidding._"

He would have loved to stretch the joke out, but he really wasn't in the mood for another rant. However, his timely save hadn't kept him from touching a very delicate nerve.

"Ok, fine. We won't play chess anymore."

"Neh, but I'm still bored."

Her body tensed visibly, though in a subtle way that only one trained as a ninja would pick up.

"…What do you want to do?"

"Hmm. How about you read to me?"

"Read to you?"

Had she heard him correctly? She had never thought of Naruto as the literary type; but then again, he had made a name for himself as a ninja by being full of surprises, and that tendency extended to his personal life as well. She supposed it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that her friend she thought she knew so well was a closet bookworm. Absently, she tried to build a mental image of 'Naruto the scholar' in her head, but the best she could come up with was some hodgepodge picture of Naruto with glasses and Sandaime's beard. The intellectual archetype definitely didn't fit him, no matter how she tried to slice it.

"Well, that's a surprise, I guess."

She didn't miss the annoyed twitch of Naruto's mouth as she continued.

"What do you want to hear? I usually keep a few novels or something like that in my dorm here in the hospital."

He paused a moment, apparently mulling over the subject deeply, before answering.

"Got any manga?"

There was a long pause.

"What?"

"Why don't you read me some manga? Any one will do, really. You can probably get one in the lounge or something."

"You want me to read a manga… _to _you?"

"It seems like a reasonable request for a sick man."

Another long silence followed.

"So, will you?"

"No."

Naruto looked stunned. He was sick, damnit! And it wasn't like it was _hard _to read a manga. From his point of view, he was doing her a favor.

"Neh, why not?"

"For one, because it's infantile. And for two, because they're freaking pictures, Naruto! How the hell am I supposed to read you pictures?"

"Just describe the pictures to me, obviously. I thought you were supposed to be smart or something."

He had pushed the wrong button.

"I _am_ smart you ignorant twit! You're the one that's being an idiot! Have you ever tried to describe a picture to someone? IT'S IDIOTIC! I had this immense feeling of respect for you just now, that maybe you weren't such a damned retard, but you had to go and ruin it, didn't you? _Why_ do I keep hanging out with you when you're the same god damn kid I knew eight years ago?"

A long silence followed her second rant.

"'No' would have been fine."

She was panting now, out of breath from her second tirade in too short a time span. She shouldn't have been surprised that Naruto was a closet otaku, but it had been a remarkable comedown from realizing that he had literary interests to realizing that they were so… low brow. He was being a remarkable pain in the ass today, though she had only just gotten there, and it was entirely possible that he would, in fact, ruin her amazing mood.

"_Hehehe"_

Sakura started slightly. It had taken a while for the slight sound to break through the faint veil of rage she had built around herself that blocked out whatever it was Naruto was doing, but it was difficult to ignore now. It wasn't quite a laugh, it was a bit too suppressed to be described as such. Was Naruto snickering? Well, if he had any instincts of self preservation at all he would know that now was not the time to be laughing at her.

"What's so funny, moron?"

Aside from being incredibly rude, it was an unfortunate way to word the question, because it fit just so perfectly with his plan. He began to crack up, and her annoyance left in the same instant. His laugh was too much like a little kid for her to really stay angry with him, and aside from that she was curious.

"Seriously, what?"

The edge had left her voice, and it was replaced instead by the slight lilt that betrayed her desire to know.

"You're what's so funny!"

Sakura was about to respond, violently, before she realized what he was implying.

_"God damn it!"_

She had fallen right into his trap. As it turned out, he was much smarter than she had given him credit for.

"…How long have you been screwing with me?"

The only response she got was Naruto exploding into a fit of markedly un-masculine giggles, which despite her constant empty threats refused to subside. It took several minutes and a couple of thrown pillows to get him to calm down enough to fess up.

"Well, I was legitimately clueless about the chess thing, up until I accused you of cheating. That was when I started messing with you."

"Why!"

"Because it's fun!"

"Why!"

"Cause' you make it fun by being such a dork!"

Apparently, that answer wasn't good enough. In a split second she had grabbed a pillow from one of the empty beds (her go-to weapon when she didn't want to injure Naruto but could find no other way to express her displeasure than through violence) and subsequently began to pound his head in with the downy and mostly harmless tool.

"Ow! How can you beat a wounded man, Sakura-chan?"

An exaggerated look of puzzlement crossed her face, and it was clear that she was trying to hold in her laughter.

"Man? That's odd, I could have sworn I was beating up an oversized little boy with a crappy sense of humor."

He pouted in protest, a poor choice of facial expressions given the accusations against him. She began to laugh with him, which, strangely enough, caused him to stop laughing altogether (though he was still chuckling a little) and adopt an incredibly goofy grin instead. He was inordinately pleased with himself that his ploy to make her laugh had paid off in the end.

"What the hell are you grinning about now?"

"Neh, just thinking about how nice it was of you to spend all this time with me, what with yesterday and today and all. How did you get the time off for it?"

In truth, most of his goofy grinning had been because he loved making her laugh, but there was no way he could have gotten away with saying that. For one, it would have made for an incredibly awkward situation; and besides that, it was a disgustingly campy line whose utterance would have made him the biggest loser he knew, a title currently held (in his mind) by Sasuke.

"Well, Shizune-san usually gives us quite a bit of time off after missions, especially long ones, so it was no big deal."

"Heh, that's awfully nice of her."

Sakura shrugged. "I guess so, but it's not like she has a choice. We'd go nuts if we had to go right back to working in the hospital after a stressful mission. She'd run out of medics fast if she didn't give us the time off."

Naruto did some quick figuring in his head. He had been filled in yesterday on most of the story of his dramatic rescue, (minus a few details that Sakura had accidentally omitted) and had noticed the several day gap between when she had brought him in and when he had woken up, which he could only interpret as time he had spent unconscious. But since she appeared to have been off duty when he had woken up, he could only assume that she was getting quite a bit of time off.

"Neh, so what'd you do with the time off while I was asleep?"

She seemed to start a bit at his voice. Apparently, she had been deep in thought while he was figuring the date.

"Oh? Ahh, um, I just visited some friends I guess. Sasuke-kun, Ino-san, Shika-kun, you know."

_**"That's an interesting way of putting it."**_

"I bet it was boring without me!"

"Well, it was certainly less interesting. You may be the second most troublesome guy I know, but you certainly find a way to make up for it."

"So what did you guys do while I was asleep? Play lame board games?"

"No, smartass; mostly we talked about you. You have quite a few friends you know, though I don't presume to understand _why _considering how much of a child you are."

As Naruto pondered over whether he ought to be offended or touched, a thought occurred to Sakura.

"Oh! You know, the hospital usually gives a recently revived patient about a day to rest before allowing visitors, so since it's been nearly twenty-four hours you should be getting a lot of traffic through here in an hour or two."

It was a great effort on Naruto's part to pretend like that was good news.

"So, if they don't want visitors in the first twenty-four hours, how come you were allowed in here all yesterday?"

"Because I'm medical personnel. What kind of question is that?"

"Yeah, but you were off duty."

"Sometimes medics can bend the rules a little bit, ok?"

He dropped the subject, not entirely sure of what had brought the slightly hostile edge to her voice but sure that he wanted it to go away.

"So, how did you know to be right there when I woke up?"

There was a small, almost imperceptible pause before she answered. "I guess you just develop a sixth sense for these things when you become a medic."

_**"Oh now that's just an outright lie."**_

And like that it was immediately uncomfortable in the room. Naruto couldn't tell if it was something he had said or done, but the slight shift in Sakura's posture and the strange silence that followed her final statement showed him clear as daylight that something in the last exchange had made the situation horribly awkward for her. He hated it, because awkwardness was a very uncommon thing between them, and he didn't know what it meant.

_"Damnit, I was trying to avoid this and I walked right into it?" _

"Sakura-chan…"

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, losers."

It was, of course, the only person who could enter a room in such a manner and not be thrown out the window by Sakura. Naruto was indescribably grateful that Sasuke had saved him from having to diffuse this situation with Sakura, and had he been paying attention to her reaction he'd have noted that she seemed equally grateful for the interruption.

"Not really, and by the way, nice entrance. A twelve year old couldn't have done better."

Sasuke gave a trademark 'hm', acknowledging that Naruto had indeed bested him for the moment, or at least that he didn't really feel like getting in an insult war and would concede this match for the sake of getting on with the discussion.

"How are you?"

"Been worse I suppose."

"So I've heard. Has Sakura told you how your mission came out?"

"Yeah! I heard that Takashi was throwing his hat in with the Leaf, though I don't know the particulars yet."

"Nobody does. We can't until the delegations for the Wave and Sand arrive, and that could be a while."

Naruto picked up the less than subtle hint that Sasuke's mission had been a complete success.

"So, I take it you completed your mission as well?"

"Yes, and I managed to do so without getting laid up in the hospital for a week."

"No need to rub it in, asshat."

Sakura, as she had always done, had no choice but to sit and watch as the two began another round of insults. She had always been something of a third wheel in the team seven dynamic. She was very close friends with both, and when they were separate she could easily hold her end of a conversation, but when the three of them got together, it was a chore for her just to gain one or the other's notice; she had long ago realized that each one's overbearing drive to be better than the other would completely dominate whatever they were doing. It troubled her sometimes, because she could never be sure if it meant that they were much closer to one another than either was to her, but mostly she just sat back and enjoyed the show.

"So, what did you and Sakura-chan do while I was out cold? She said you guys hung out."

Sasuke noted the odd way in which the question had been worded. He and Sakura hadn't so much 'hung out' as he had visited her while she refused to leave Naruto's side. He gave Sakura a sidelong glance as he carefully constructed his answer.

"We visited you some, though that turned out not to be all that exciting."

"That's it?"

Another look in her direction confirmed that she was indeed giving him a pleading look, as though begging him not to let some dirty little secret slip.

"Pretty much, I had a lot to do."

"Wow, you guys are lame without me around."

"If by lame you mean relaxed, then yes."

Naruto's doubtless snappy comeback was interrupted when Tsunade entered the room, looking remarkably fresh considering the

"Good morning, Naruto."

"Mornin', Oba-chan!"

"Good morning, Shishou."

"Hn."

"I trust that your lack of respect is a sign that you're doing better?"

"Nah, I don't respect you despite my medical condition, Oba-chan."

"Ahh. Well, how convenient is this; as it turns out, I need to meet with all three of you, albeit separately."

She took in their expressions; one anxious, one nervous, and one annoyed at being held up from all the better things he had to do. She zeroed in on Sakura; the girl's punishment had waited far too long, and by the way she shifted uncomfortably in her seat under Tsunade's glare, she knew it too.

"Sakura-san, may I see you in the hall first?"

Sakura gulped. Good mood or not, Tsunade's impending lecture would surely be less than exhilarating.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Sasuke smirked knowingly as she passed him on her way out the door, stiff as a board. He knew that she was in major trouble for abandoning her post, but the blank expression on Naruto's face revealed that he had no idea what was going on, nor why there seemed to be so much tension as Sakura exited the room.

_"Well, I can fix that."_

Naruto glared at his rival and close friend as he plopped down in Sakura's recently vacated seat.

"You're getting up when she comes back, right?"

His answer was a bit delayed and slightly absentminded, as he was engrossed with the small chess rulebook that Sakura had left behind, along with the lightly used set.

"Maybe, maybe not. Haven't decided. You do know why she's in trouble, right?"

"Trouble? Why? Does saving me not count as a heroic deed in the service of the village?"

"No, actually, it doesn't. Surprising, I know. In fact, that's exactly why she's being punished."

Naruto blinked, not quite getting the message. Wasn't it the job of medic-nins to do everything in their power to reduce casualties?

"Come again? You make it sound like she's being punished for saving the life of a comrade."

"Well, in order to save the life of a comrade she abandoned her post, and that's about as serious an offense as a Medic-nin can get."

Sasuke absently began memorizing the chess rulebook as Naruto digested what he had been told. He couldn't exactly say that he was sorry she had done it; he was alive because of her actions, after all. But he definitely felt sorry for her.

"Neh, hope the old lady isn't too hard on her…"

* * *

Sakura brushed one of her unruly bangs out of her eye as she desperately tried to avoid the glare of her one time teacher. Strangely, she had never gotten out of the habit of calling her 'shishou'; it was a moniker that somehow stuck, even as their student-teacher relationship dissolved over the years and she became a talented medic in her own right. 

"You're a smart girl, Sakura, which is part of why I'm so god-damned disappointed that you would do something like this. I assume you've figured out what this conversation is going to be about."

"You could at least thank me first, you know."

"Thanks. Now, are you ready to hear your punishment?"

Sakura sighed in response. She was surprised, and a bit thankful, that Tsunade was being so gentle about this. There was a time when such insolence as she had just displayed would have earned her a slap she would be feeling for the rest of the afternoon, but now Tsunade was being almost grandmotherly.

"Ok, give it to me."

"Alright, first things first, I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same thing when I was your age, but that doesn't change the fact that we're about to enter a war and I can't have medics abandoning their platoons to try and save a hopeless cause just because that cause happens to be important to them."

"So does that make you feel at all bad about this?"

"Not really, and I didn't say I was finished. Sakura, you're supposed to be one of the _leaders _of this division; what the hell kind of example do you think you're setting for these kids? And it's only worse because you succeeded by some miracle of luck; the next time one of them is in that situation, do you know what they're going to think?"

Sakura's tried to avert her eyes from the suddenly less comforting gaze of her shishou. _This _was the Tsunade she'd been expecting.

"Um, 'If Sakura-san could make it work, than so could I'?"

"Exactly, which is why I'm afraid I can't just punish you Sakura; I'm going to have to make an example out of you."

She gulped, which brought a smile of bitter satisfaction to her lips. She'd make sure her pupil learned the lesson, no matter how hard it hurt. That had always been her method of teaching.

"So… what is it you're going to do?"

"Well, first off, I think it's only fair that you not be paid your share of the mission bonus. It will be redistributed amongst the surviving members of the team."

Well, it sucked, but she could live with it. It wasn't as though she didn't make  
a handy sum of money as a Jounin working in the medical division. But the practical part of her knew that there was no way that that was the end of her punishments.

"And speaking of money, I always thought you were a little loose in your spending habits."

That elicited a snort of semi-disbelief from Sakura. Was Tsunade, the legendary sucker, seriously lecturing her about being loose with money?

"So, to correct this little flaw, I'm suspending your pay for six months."

Ok, that was going to hurt the wallet. Tsunade wasn't too far off in criticizing Sakura's expenditures; she had a modest savings account, but it sure as hell wouldn't get her through six months off duty. Hell, she might have to move back in with her parents; Ino was a good friend, but she doubted the blond would have the patience to essentially pay her living expenses for half a year.

"So, what am I to do in the meantime?"

"Work, of course."

Sakura almost did a double take. "You said I was suspended!"

"No, I said I was suspending your pay. You'll still be working full shifts."

She was baffled. This was too much. Pay cuts and work suspensions were both fairly common punishments in the Hidden Leaf, but to make one of your shinobi a virtual slave in their own village was unheard of.

"…why?"

"I'll be straight with you, Sakura. You _are_ a good medic and the truth is I'll be relying on your work during this war; especially the early part. That's always the roughest."

Sakura took a deep breath. She could handle this. Sure, she might have to move back in with her parents for a while, which would be embarrassing, and she might have to live off that god awful instant ramen that Naruto seemed to worship. But she'd suffered through worse, albeit for much briefer stints, and it really wasn't that long in the grand scheme of things.

"So, is that it?"

"Not quite."

_"What the hell?"_

Honestly, she couldn't really think of what else Tsunade could do to her; she'd about exhausted all the punishments that kept her fit to work.

"Until further notice, you're suspended from missions."

That one hit her like a bombshell, and they both knew why; she wanted to be with Naruto, wherever he was. Hell, she didn't _trust _his well being to any of the other medics; not even Shizune.

"But you just said you needed me! You said I was the best! The best _always _go in the field!"

"I need you where I can control you, not where you're going to make the same stupid mistake you did last time. A mediocre medic that's doing his job is worth more than a good one that isn't any day."

Sakura was furious, but tried not to show it. She didn't want to give Tsunade the satisfaction of knowing just how pissed she was. She clenched and unclenched her jaw several times, trying to prepare herself to speak civilly.

"Is that all?"

"You think this is unfair."

"…Maybe."

"I know you won't realize this for a long time, but this is for the benefit of everyone, yourself included."

_"What complete bullshit!"_

She didn't need the lesson; she knew and understood precisely what her Shishou was trying to say. She had known that before she made the decision, and she knew it both during and after. But what Tsunade really wasn't taking into account was the fact that Naruto mattered more than all that; more than the other people on her team, and more than her principles as a medical practitioner.

"Who are you visiting next?"

Tsunade winced at the bite of Sakura's voice. She hoped dearly that they could still be friends at the end of all this; or at least civil to one another. She had enough subordinates with a chip on their shoulder to deal with without inadvertently creating another one.

"Naruto, I think."

"I'll be in the waiting room."

Tsunade didn't even say goodbye as she watched the slightly hunched shoulders of her brightest student disappearing around a corner.

"Well, she took that better than I expected…"

Tsunade found herself interrupting a _very _heated chess match upon her re-entrance to Naruto's hospital suite. The game, which had been of virtually no interest to him with Sakura as his opponent, took on a whole new dimension when Sasuke became the challenger. Suddenly, it was another of the myriad things they tried to one up each-other at, and Naruto was doing surprisingly well considering how much better a strategist Sasuke was.

"Check."

"What!"

"Well, this seems like a good time to interrupt you two. Sasuke-san, could you wait outside? I think Sakura-san went to the lobby, if you want to wait with her."

Sasuke snorted, disgusted at the sickly sweet tone of her voice; the same voice that had chewed him out relentlessly not a week and a half ago. He left the room without a word.

Remarkably, he had come a long way in overcoming his discomfort in hospitals over the days he had come to visit Naruto. He still despised the places, but he didn't feel quite as squeamish and uncomfortable in there anymore, which made it much easier to navigate his way out to the lobby. From there, it didn't take him long to find Sakura. Oddly, whether by design or accident, she had sat herself in the exact same chair he found her in the night she brought a mostly-dead Naruto into the emergency room. He wasted no time making himself comfortable in, perhaps less strangely, the exact same seat he had used that night.

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"Tell him what?"

Her voice was lilting, almost playful, as though she knew exactly what he was talking about and was just teasing him for the fun of it.

"Why didn't you tell Naruto that you were with him the whole time he was asleep?"

Her eyes snapped up from the news piece she had been pretending to occupy herself with. Sasuke, who had previously been bathing in his own smug confidence, found that himself withering under the glare she fixed him with.

"Did you tell him?"

"No!"

It wasn't often that someone managed to put the fear of god into Uchiha Sasuke, but she had found a way to do it.

"So, um, why didn't you?"

"I don't know… I didn't want him to know I was that worried about him. It would be..."

"Weird?"

She gave him an annoyed glare. It was most certainly _not _his place to finish her sentences for her.

"Yes. But more importantly, I don't want him to worry, you know?"

"Eh, fair enough."

She had managed to shut Sasuke up, but there was nothing she could do about the voice in her head. It was, as usual, right. She had _lied _to her best friend about how much she cared about him. There was more to it than simply not wanting him to worry, and it had something to do with the weirdness. The problem was, she couldn't understand why it felt so odd.

"So, just how badly _were _you punished?"

"I really don't want to talk about it right now."

"That bad, eh?"

She sighed. It was going to be a long six months.

"Afraid so."

"What do you suppose they're talking about in there?"

"I don't know, but I hope for his sake he's having a more pleasant conversation with her than I did."

* * *

Tsunade took the liberty of closing the door behind Sasuke. She turned to face Naruto, only to be taken aback by the intense look of wariness and distrust she saw in his eyes. 

"You weren't too hard on her, were you?"

"I don't think that's any of your business. And besides, your opinion is biased, since you benefited from her foolish choices."

Naruto opened his mouth, about to argue with her, when he realized that she was absolutely right; there was no way she could convince him that Sakura had done wrong, and she was equally adamant that Sakura's decision was wrong. In a way, it was a good lesson for being Hokage; don't waste time on arguments that nobody can win.

"So, what is this about?"

"I'm debriefing you on your mission, of course."

Naruto looked puzzled.

"Isn't that my job?"

"Normally, yes, but seeing as how you were incapacitated and didn't get the full results, I figured I'd tell them to you. I'm sure you are already aware that the diplomatic portion of the mission was a complete success?"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan told me; but… what about the casualties?"

Tsunade sighed. She knew that Naruto worried constantly about his performance as a leader, and took casualties very personally; really, it was his biggest flaw as a leader.

"As you're aware, Akiko, Takehito, and Shigeru are dead. Of the three who were wounded in action, Orikasa Ai is dead, Kato Osamu has suffered major injuries to his right leg that will cripple him for life, and Touma Yumi looks like she will make a full recovery. Also, Konohamaru received some major damage to his lower right abdomen in the closing minutes of the battle, but he looks now like he'll be fine."

She didn't fail to notice the crestfallen look on Naruto's face.

"Naruto… I know what you're thinking; that this is just more ruined lives on your shoulders. But you can't dwell on what you could have done differently when you're a leader; sometimes you have to make decisions without all the information, and sometimes that leads to tragic ends."

She was surprised to see that he wasn't sulking, but rather smiling; not in a happy way, but more the sad, serene smile of someone who's accepted the reality that the world sometimes sucks.

"Heh, Takashi-sama said the same thing, you know. I'm not worried about that anymore. But… it's ok to mourn them, isn't it?"

Tsunade smiled. At least he had managed to take something away from this experience, another sign that he was growing; and the more he grew, the more the people of the village would accept him.

"You'd be a bad person if you didn't."

"Neh, Oba-chan, how did the Fern Village fare in all this?"

"Well, as you can imagine, they won the battle. Their casualties were heavy, to say the least. About half of the fighters they had on hand were either killed or rendered unable to fight. The civilian population took a severe hit as well. Also, they were forced to abandon their village for the time being; they've set up a temporary base on the edge of the rice growing country you passed through."

Naruto frowned. This didn't have the markings of the successful mission Sakura had described it as. Tsunade noticed this, and decided now was as good a time as ever to proceed with the good news.

"It's not all bad, though. Most of their elite veterans were away from the country on missions or otherwise occupied elsewhere, so their fighting power wasn't diminished nearly as much as it sounds like. Aside from that, Takashi-san tells me that they've cleared the forest of stragglers and evacuated the civilians. He tells me they're prepared to enter what he calls 'the Green Wall Defense'."

"What the hell is 'the Green Wall Defense'?"

"Simple. Nobody enters the forest, and nobody leaves. The Cloud and Mist will have a hell of a time trying to move forces through there, if they're able to at all. With a little extra manpower from us and the Sand, it will be a veritably impenetrable line of defense against the Cloud and Mist."

"Well, that's good, I suppose. So what's the mission turnout like?"

She smiled. "The council is calling it a success. As am I, and not because I happen to like you; you not only secured the alliance, which was the main objective of the mission, but you did so under unexpectedly strenuous circumstances. I'd give you a bonus for a job well done if the budget wasn't about to get tight."

Naruto finally felt himself relaxing for the first time in what seemed like ages; since the mission had begun, in fact. Hell, if the council, which had harbored a distinct dislike for him since childhood, said it was a success, than he must have done a damn good job, regardless of what he thought about it.

"So, is that all?"

"No, actually; I want to talk to you about your next assignment."

Naruto did a near double-take. "Shouldn't we wait till' I'm out of the hospital to be discussing that?"

"Normally, yes, but wars move fast and I have a lot of other business to take care of, so I might as well tell you now; the council was impressed with you, Naruto, and you can imagine how difficult it was to pull that off. They want you to lead our northern defense against the Earth Country and their allies."

He was at a loss for words, and for several seconds did nothing but open and close his mouth, trying to find something intelligent to say. Why was the council that had despised him since birth and knew of his desire to be a leader giving him this opportunity? After several seconds of silence only one thought had crossed his mind.

"Isn't there someone better?"

"What?"

"Come on, there has to be somebody better suited to lead this operation? Jiraiya, Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-sensei, Hayashi-sama, Shika-kun… Sasuke?"

"Heh, well, Jiraiya's never been much of a strategist, more of the sneaking around type. Kakashi-san's going to be supervising our forces in the Forest Country, you're not authorized to know what I'll have Yamato and Sasuke-san doing, and Hayashi-san is a politician, not a general. That just leaves you, kid."

"What about Shika-kun?"

"He'll be your direct second in command. I already went over it with him several days ago."

"But… he's way smarter than me!"

"Yes, but as a leader he's a bit lacking, especially in the motivation department, which is why he'll be perfect as second in command."

Well, it kind of made sense. Shikamaru had made it painfully obvious on several occasions that, while he was a top-notch strategist, he often had trouble with split second decision making, and he had a tendency to over-think things and second guess himself. He served much better in an advisory role than a decision making one, at least for a large scale operation like this one.

"Well?"

Tsunade interrupted his thoughts, apparently impatient to hear what he had to say.

"What?"

"Are you okay with this? I can recommend somebody else if it's too much."

"No! er, sorry. It's a little overwhelming, but I'll get over it I guess. Can't shun responsibility if I want to be Hokage I suppose."

"Yeah, I wound up learning that the hard way. Any questions before I go? I have a lot of people to meet with you know."

"Yeah, actually. How do you know that the Earth Country is going to attack us?"

"Eh, there are several pieces to that puzzle. First, we know for a fact that they want revenge; the Yondaime made their best ninjas look like a pack of fools in the last war, and their reputation's never recovered from it. Revenge and the chance to show their clientele that they are the better ninjas are more than enough motivation. Combine that with my scouts reporting increased enemy movement along and near the northern border, and I can be pretty sure that they're gonna' pull something; anything else you need to know? I'm kind of on a schedule here."

"What about my Genin team? I've spent too much time away from them as it is."

"They'll go with you, obviously."

Naruto was sure he hadn't heard her right. Thirteen year olds? They were too young to be on the battlefield; quality soldiers are more important than quantity, that was the Leaf's philosophy, or so he'd been instructed at the academy. So why throw away soldiers that could be great in the future for measly gains in the present? It didn't make sense.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because they're not ready, Oba-chan; I only just got them a few months ago. They've only done _one _C-ranked mission. They're not ready to go to the front lines."

Tsunade could hardly believe that she was having this argument; what the hell did Naruto think it meant to become a ninja? In times of peace it may not be common to put Genin in dangerous situations; it wasn't necessary. But they were trained soldiers like the rest of the ninja, and in times of war they were expected to fight. Didn't they still teach this stuff at the academy? But that was a problem for another day; she gave up pondering if she needed to review the academy curriculum, and instead prepared to put on her tough façade.

"Well, you'd better take what time you have between now and then and _make _them ready, _Sensei, _because tough luck to you if you think that that's a good excuse to keep them out of the war. The Leaf can't afford to have valuable soldiers wasting their time on D-rank missions. Until the war's over, there's no such thing."

"What the hell's the point of fighting for the future of the village if you kill off its youngest generation? This is bullshit! They're just kids!"

"It doesn't _matter _that they're just kids, they're trained soldiers and they're going to fight and die like their comrades; wars like these aren't won by heroes, Naruto, they're won by bodies, and any age body will do."

"You're the Hokage, how the hell can you call your villagers 'bodies'? Have you lost your mind?"

"Damnit Naruto, I didn't mean it that way. Look, this is how they've always been fought. Don't believe me, ask Kakashi-san. He had to fight in the last war when he was only thirteen. Hell, didn't _you _fight in the Sound Leaf War?"

"That was different! We were being attacked and had to defend ourselves, but you're sending these kids to their deaths!"

Tsunade took a deep breath. Now was _not _the time to get angry with Naruto; she couldn't fault him for caring about his students, but he needed to come back to reality.

"Naruto… you remember when I sent you after Sasuke-san?"

"Which time?" He knew exactly which one she was talking about, but didn't feel like being cordial.

"The first time; when you were still a genin, I sent you on an A-ranked mission. You were strong, yes, and you may have been the closest thing he had to a friend, but I sent you because there wasn't anyone else available. I sent genin on that mission because there was no other way to get it done, and it's the same way now. I wish it weren't true, but we have no choice."

He just sat there, eyes closed and a sour expression on his face, but Tsunade could tell by his lack of retort that he saw the truth in her words.

"You still think this sucks, and that's fine, but for the sake of your students you're going to have to get over it, ok?"

A sharp nod was the only indication he would give her that he had heard her words.

Much as she hated leaving it at that, she wasn't lying when she said she had to go. And aside from that, there was nothing more that could be said. A week ago she had told Jiraiya that the boy was ready to be Hokage, but now she feared that that wasn't at all true. He was close, of course, but he appeared to still be too much of an idealist. In many ways, it was his most appealing trait as a leader; the Yondaime had been an idealist, and it had given him the vision to make the village great. But his idealism had been tempered with a healthy dose of reality, partially from his own participation in a vicious shinobi conflict.

But Naruto had none of that temperament; he had seen death, yes, but he had not yet faced enough decisions that involved sacrifice to come to the realization that sometimes shinobi had to make decisions that left a bad taste in their mouth. Accepting the deaths of his subordinates was a step in the right direction, but she wasn't sure yet that he had the resolve to make the tough decision when it was down to the wire. She could only hope that his experience in the north would teach him that. If not, his prospects for becoming Hokage seemed depressingly dim.

Naruto, meanwhile, was fuming as she closed the door on the way out of the room.

"I'll make them the best damn genin you've ever seen, ya'old bitch."

He knew that it was an infantile thing to say, and that, perhaps more disturbingly; he was talking to himself, but it did help him deal with his anger, albeit in an adolescent way. He still thought this was wrong, and if he were in charge he'd find a way to keep them out of harms way without crippling the war effort; but then, wasn't that what Takashi had told him? It was foolish to try and fix everything, and making it so that no child ever had to die in the name of the Leaf was something he couldn't fix, not without a lifetime of work (which he fully intended to put in, if he ever became Hokage). But he could fix this; he could make his students the best damn ninja they could be. In fact, it was his duty to do so.

On the other side of the door, Tsunade sighed. She hadn't expected him to get angry over this.

_"Oh well, he'll have to get over it."_

She made her way out to the lobby, only to be nearly bowled over by a boisterous young man with stark white hair and the most goofily situated Hitai-ate she had ever seen.

"Well, speak of the devils."

* * *

She hadn't expected to run into Naruto's students. It was a bit of an awkward meeting, as they weren't used to dealing with the Hokage and still saw her as some distant authority figure, but she had managed to point them in the direction of his room. Apparently, they had been lost for quite some time. Just as well; she wouldn't have wanted to have that little tiff with them in earshot. 

She was more than a little pissed off at the outcome of her meeting with Naruto; it was supposed to be _good _news all around, but damn it if he hadn't found a way to get pissed off at her. She didn't enjoy sending kids to war any more than he did, and she didn't enjoy being reminded that it was wrong. But she didn't have time to examine the moral aspects of the use of child solders; she had several more meetings, at least one of which she couldn't possibly see taking the same downhill turn as Naruto's had. After all, Sasuke didn't care about children.

She surveyed the waiting room, taking only a moment to find the man she was looking for. He was in a standard ANBU jumpsuit, with a black rather than grey vest and no arm guards (a personal preference of his she had never been able to figure out). She motioned to him to come, and he did so, gladly if the measure of his gait was any indication. She could only assume that he had said something to set Sakura off more than she already was.

Without a word she led him down the corridor and into an office she knew to be empty; it belonged to a paper pusher who was off duty today, and his office would serve excellently as an impromptu meeting place. She took her seat at the empty desk and motioned for Sasuke to pull up a chair.

"Now then."

"Hai, Hokage-sama?"

She laughed a little at his stiffness. It was clear that he was nervous, still taking her threat of expulsion from the village seriously.

"You've given me the basics. Mission successful, though the Momochi-san received some major injuries, which you were unable to prevent."

She didn't really hold it against him, but knew that mentioning it would make him extremely uncomfortable, and she needed a little comic relief after how her last two missions had gone.

"Now, I'd like to hear the story in full."

"Hai."

And so he told her. From their relatively uneventful first few days, he moved into his encounter with the Demon Brothers, and could tell that she was impressed at the way he had not only bested them, but gotten them to show him the way to the Hidden Wave. From there, he narrated their acrobatic infiltration and subsequent search for the Oyabun's office, and embarrassedly recited the events of their capture. Finally, he got to the fight with Deidara, at which point she interrupted him.

"So wait, the Akatsuki were out for this guy?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

This was big. There was always more than met the eye when the Akatsuki came into play. And besides, it was the first confirmed activity of theirs she'd received in years.

"What did they want with him?"

"Apparently, he refused an offer from them to join the organization. They don't enjoy being turned down."

She frowned. Not only were they still around and active, but they were recruiting. That little bit of news had just made her schedule _much _busier.

"Go on."

From there, he described the fight with Deidara, and the subsequent wounding of Momochi. She was especially interested in his description of the Wave Oyabun's fighting ability; she had heard that the man was a master of water techniques, but had no idea exactly what abilities he had in his arsenal; he would be a powerful ally, if he ever recovered from the injuries he had received from Deidara. Sasuke looked hopefully at her as he finished his story. He _really _wanted to keep his job.

"Is that all?"

"Yes. So…"

"Relax; you get to keep your job. You did good, kid. Not that I expected any less, but the way you handled yourself when the Akatsuki got involved was impressive."

That was good news. Kind of. He was right back where he started a week ago, but it was better than the alternative. And now, he had better things to do.

"If that's all then…"

Tsunade cut him off. "It's not. Sit."

He had barely had a chance to get out of his seat, and immediately plopped back down.

"I've received some disturbing reports recently, reports that bear further investigation. I need my best ANBU on this one, and, oh, hell, I think you can tell where this is going."

Sasuke's interest was piqued. Much as he sometimes detested the Leaf, he loved ninja work.

"Any particulars?"

She smiled. Getting Sasuke to respond positively to anything was a feat in and of itself.

"I'm afraid I can't reveal details until you get a team together, but I should probably tell you that it is a _long _term mission in a remote location; you'll be cut off from support for quite some time. As such, you will be deploying a standard four man team; three fighters and scouts, one medic."

Vague, but enticing. "How long term, and how far afield will we be."

Tsunade considered for a moment not telling him, as it _was _highly sensitive information. But decided that he would at least need these details if he wanted to garner the interest of any teammates.

"Six months in the field at least, not counting travel time. As to distance, you'll be in the far west; specifically, the west coast of Niigata will be the focus of your investigation. Beyond that, I'm not at liberty to say until you've gathered your team."

_"Six months? _Not _including travel time?"_

He didn't have that kind of time. In the time he was away, who could know how much stronger Itachi would get? It was a constant race, and he couldn't afford to not be gaining on his older brother for that long.

"What's the pay?"

"Excuse me?"

"How much does the mission pay?"

So he was reluctant; she should have known. The kid was, after all, obsessed with his training, and this was a long time to be spending away from that. Oh well, it wasn't as though she didn't have ways of enticing him. Of course, she could always just order him to do it and put up with his melodrama, but she found that he produced much better work when his heart was in it.

"Oh, the hefty sum you'd expect from a mission of this caliber, but I don't think that's what'll interest you."

Sasuke arched a curious eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Oh, indeed. You see, anyone who successfully led such a difficult and delicate mission would clearly be captain level material. And what with the war and all these dangerous missing-nins, I'll need someone to look after them."

Sasuke was formulating an automatic smart-ass response before he even registered what she was implying, but it stopped him dead in his tracks when he took it all in. He was frozen, not daring to believe that she was saying what he thought she was saying.

"Are you trying to tell me that if I complete this mission you'll give me free reign in my hunt for Itachi?"

"Hah. Don't hold your breath, kid."

He _almost _let a look of supreme disappointment cross his features.

"But… if you were a captain, I might look the other way if you used ANBU resources to keep tabs on dangerous Konoha missing-nins. Actually, it would be part of your job. And believe it or not, Konoha wants him dead as much as you do. It may not be long before the council decides to tie up loose ends, and when they do I'll make sure you're the one who receives the assignment. Hell, you're probably the only one with a chance, kid."

"My revenge is worthless if I don't get the training I need."

"I can arrange to have your trainer in the village where you need him, and captains rarely have their time wasted with the patrol missions and other duties that I'm sure are restricting your training time now."

He mulled it over in his head; it was a damn good offer, though it was not without its shortcomings. On the one hand, as much as a year (which he wasn't ruling out as a possibility) away from the war against Itachi seemed like a lifetime; but then, he was sure that if he could just complete the final stages of his training, he would be able to beat his brother, regardless of the time he had spent away. And besides that, the ability to use ANBU support in tracking him down would greatly aid him. But finally, it was his ego that tipped the scales for him; it hurt his pride to be stronger and smarter and _better _than any of the captains and yet still be a low ranking agent.

"How long are you giving me to gather a team?"

"Take your time; you won't be moving out for a while. But if you're curious for more details about the mission, by all means begin right away."

"Hai."

He got up to leave without another word. He had been unsure before, but now he was confident; this was the fastest way to his goal. Whatever time he lost on the mission, he would surely be able to make up in his ability to locate Itachi using the ANBU agents. And it wouldn't take him long to find his team; he knew just who we was going to get. Asking would be nothing but a pleasantry; he knew they'd accept.

"One more thing, Sasuke-san."

"Hai?"

"I want you to be there for the meeting. And I want you to tell Naruto to be there too."

"Meeting?"

"Hai, the alliance summit; it's tradition for a ninja leader to bring two of their strongest as body guards."

Sasuke sighed, brushing his fingers through his hair. Surely, she was doing this just to annoy him.

"Why can't you tell him?"

"He'd take it better from you… just trust me."

He didn't have time to argue, nor did he really care why Naruto would be angry with the Hokage. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

Faster than she could ask him to take care of any more annoying chores, he was out the door and on his way to ANBU headquarters, where he was sure he'd find Shino and Kiba.

Tsunade smiled as the door nearly flapped off it's hinges in the wake of his exit.

"He's not such a bad kid, when you get to know him. Handsome, too."

* * *

"So, does this hurt?" 

"Of course it does, you twit, _his stomach was cut open._"

"He looks fine to me, so back off!"

Naruto sighed, wondering not for the last time if he had given Kakashi this much trouble. He didn't know where he found the patience.

"Ryotaro."

"Yes, Sensei?"

"It does hurt, and I'd appreciate if you'd stop doing it."

"Ahh."

Hyperactive as he was, he could take a hint. He took his place beside his teammates on the other side of the room. Not surprisingly, Naruto found him immensely less irritating with a little distance, and that made it much easier for him to think; since they were here, he'd have to tell them about the war, and about the grueling training regimen he'd be putting them through. He had hoped it could wait until he had a little time to gather his thoughts, but they had denied him that. Now if only he could find a way to break it to them lightly.

"So, you guys came to visit me in the hospital? That was sweet of you."

"Neh, Naomi-chan made Akira-kun come, and I just wanted to show you something!"

"Well then, that was very sweet of you, Naomi-chan. And screw you too, Akira."

"Ano, thank you, Sensei."

"Hey! It's not like you were dying! I'm a busy guy, ya' know."

"Right, whatever. What was it you wanted to show me, Shiba?"

Shiba Ryotaro wasted no time in stripping off his shirt and pants. Naomi blushed and looked away, as any proper woman of the Hyuuga house would, while Akira tried desperately to get him to put his clothes back on. But Naruto picked up on why Ryotaro had stripped himself down. For strapped _very _tightly to opposite sides of his body (in such a way that rendered them invisible when clothed) was a matching pair of sheaths.

"You know, if the hospital staff catches you with those they'll be confiscated. Not to mention the fact that smuggling weapons into a secure facility is a serious offense."

"Neh, that's not important sensei! Look at em', aren't they great?"

"Well, I'll have to see them out of their sheaths to determine that."

Without stopping, even to re-clothe himself, Ryotaro bounded across the room and to his sensei's bedside, drawing one of the matched pair of swords as he did so. It would have been menacing had Naruto not been well aware of the fact that Ryotaro didn't always consider the implications of his actions. He offered the blade to Naruto, who carefully accepted. It appeared to be a Wakizashi, more common for samurai than ninjas. But it appeared to be perfectly balanced, and what few tests of strength and sharpness he could perform showed it to be of a good make.

"A Wakizashi? Not really much of a ninja weapon, but it seems pretty high quality. Old, too. They don't really put this much craftsmanship into side-arms anymore. Where did you get them?"

Careful not to cut himself, he grabbed the sword by the fore-grip and offered it gingerly to his student, who displayed uncharacteristic calm in taking it back without cutting his Sensei.

"Neh, some traveling merchant. Oto-san got em' for me for completing my first C-rank mission. He says it means now I'm a real ninja, but that's not important. Look at this!"

Ryotaro did something that Naruto couldn't quite see, though he presumed that he must have pushed some kind of well-hidden button. Out of the hilt popped a thin, double edged knife blade that appeared to be as well kept as the main blade and nearly as long as the handle.

"So it is a ninja weapon. Does the matched one do that as well?"

"Yup! But that's not even the coolest part. Look!"

With the handle thrust unceremoniously in his face, he couldn't help but notice that there was _writing _on it. Upon closer inspection, he found that the elegant Hiragana spelled out a name; Uzumaki. He couldn't believe his eyes. As far as he knew, the Uzumaki clan was a fabrication of the Konoha council; he thought he was its first and only member. But he wasn't reading it wrong. Curiosity overcoming him, he quickly flipped the sheathed blade over, to see if there was a given name on the other side. Sure enough, there was, but it didn't shed any light on the mystery; rather, it deepened it.

"See! It says Uzumaki Naruto! Did you lose it or something?"

Naruto was baffled. He was certain he had no family, but he was even surer that he had never owned a matched pair of swords. So the only answer left was that there was another Naruto _somewhere. _But then again, given the age of the blades, this Naruto could be long dead.

"Sorry Shiba, but I've never seen these before in my life. It is quite the coincidence though. By the way, do you actually know how to _use _those things?"

"Not _well, _but that's why you're my sensei."

Naruto closed his eyes, trying very hard not to be visibly irritated with his student.

"Did it occur to you that I don't _know _any Kenjutsu?"

"Um…no. But… these things cost a lot of money! Oto-san is gonna' be pissed!"

"Relax, I know someone who happens to be very good at it. I'll get him to train you, but try to think about these things first, ok?"

"Hai, Sensei!"

Well, at the very least the kid had given him the opening he needed to break the news to them.

"Well, speaking of training, what can we all learn from this little experience of mine?"

"That you're a terrible ninja?"

"That swords rule?"

Of course Akira couldn't give an earnest answer. It seemed as though he had some kind of aversion to treating anything seriously, and Ryotaro would almost always follow his lead.

"Both wrong. Naomi-chan, do you have the answer?"

One thing he could say for the girl of his team, he could always count on her to be serious when he was trying to get a point across.

"Ano… he struck you from behind, so… you must not have been facing him?"

"A little basic, but you're on the right track. Want a second shot Akira?"

"He took you by surprise?"

Naruto had to admit that he was impressed that his student had needed no further prodding to give him a real attempt at an answer.

"Getting closer, Akira-san. Shiba-san?"

"Um… I dunno' Akira-san pretty much got it I think."

"Wrong, or I would have stopped there. One more try, Naomi-chan. I'm looking for something broader from this."

"Um… he exploited a weakness, I guess."

She barely had time to finish before Naruto's exuberant outburst told her that she was correct.

"Exactly, Naomi-chan! I showed him a weakness, though only for a split second, and he exploited it. Which is basically the essence of ninjutsu; It's not about being the fastest, or the strongest. That's how the samurai operated, but wouldn't ya' know they aren't around anymore. Ninjutsu is about finding your opponents weakness and exploiting it, while at the same time identifying and covering up your own weaknesses."

Akira was unimpressed. "That sounds kind of basic, Naruto-sensei."

"That may be, but when you start to adopt it as your main philosophy of fighting, a lot of things start to fall into place. Second chance, Akira-san; what is the most relevant battlefield statistic of Ninjutsu?"

"That more shinobi are killed by kunai and shuriken than A, B, and C ranked offensive jutsu combined?"

"Exactly!"

Ryotaro, however, wasn't buying it. "Neh, but isn't that just because more ninja know how to use kunai and shuriken than all those advanced techniques?"

"Not true; I've seen a genin take down a much stronger opponent through the simple application of the principle I just taught you. And on the flip side of that, if you try to charge in waving the most powerful technique in the world around without analyzing your opponents weakness you might fall flat on your ass."

They still didn't seem to get it; Akira looked under whelmed, Ryotaro looked confused, and Naomi; well, she didn't look anything, but Naruto gathered that she wasn't much better off than the other two.

"Ok, forget all that for now; just suffice to say that it's not how many powerful techniques you know that make you a good ninja, but how you use them. We'll build from there until you get what I'm trying to tell you, ok?"

They nodded in unison, and it was Akira who spoke first.

"Naruto-sensei, this is a wonderful lesson I'm sure, but why are you telling all of this to us now?"

"Excellent question. There're two reasons; one, my injury was convenient for illustrating the point, and two, because we're going to be doing a _lot _of training in the next month or two, and this philosophy will be the focus of our training."

"Neh, why all the training sensei?"

This was the part he'd been dreading. He didn't relish having to tell them that they'd be going off to war.

"We're going to be training… because the Hidden Leaf is going to war. And when the Hidden Leaf goes to war, everyone fights. You'll be going to the front lines with me, regardless of the fact that you're recently instated genin."

Akira was the first to react, as the other two were both too stunned by the news to do anything but stare at the wall. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why are we going to war? It doesn't make sense; we haven't done anything to offend the other countries."

"Hey, I wish it weren't true either, and you're right, we didn't do anything. But that's not going to stop other nations from attacking us, and we're going to have to defend ourselves. The sooner you get over it the better."

Ryotaro was the next to gain enough wherewithal to respond, but Naruto was surprised and a bit disturbed by his reaction.

"Sweet! So this means we're gonna get to fight, right?"

"Wha?"

"This promises to be interesting."

They were… excited. Well, he couldn't have that. He would have to dispel their illusions here and now if he wanted them to have any chance of surviving.

"No, it's not fucking interesting, it's the worst damn news you've ever heard in your life! This is serious shit, ok? You're going to be putting your lives on the line against opponents that are stronger than you every day for an extended period of time, and I hate to say it, but chances are at least one of you is going to die. If you run into this thinking it's some kind of fucking game, you're gonna be the one shipped back to your parents in a bag, ok?"

The silence in the room was bitterly satisfying; apparently, his little outburst, while a tad over the top, had sobered them up enough to get them to take this business seriously. And that was the first step to keeping them alive.

"If there are no more questions, I suggest you take the rest of the day off. As soon as I get out of here, we're starting a fourteen hour a day training regimen."

They were, at the moment, too frightened of their sensei to complain about the ridiculous training schedule; too scared to do anything but keep their thoughts to themselves and file out the door one by one.

Naruto just continued to sulk as the door closed behind the last of his charges. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh; he just needed them to understand how dire the situation was, and they weren't exactly being cooperative.

"Nice speech kid, but I think you should give credit where credit's due! That was straight out of Jiraiya-sama's book of tough love!"

It wasn't hard to figure out who was speaking to him; aside from the distinct voice, he knew of only one person with the unique mixture of cocky and crazy that led to referring to oneself in the third person.

"Isn't that one pornographic, Ero-sennin?"

He gave a quick wave as the old Sannin let himself into the room through the window he could have sworn he had locked. Oh well, one doesn't become legendary letting such small obstacles deter them.

"In places, yes. How are you?"

"Been better. This is an awfully random time to drop by for a visit, Jiraiya, what's up?"

"What, can't visit my star pupil when he's laid up in the hospital?"

"I thought Yondaime was your star pupil?"

"What, a guy can't have two star pupils?"

"I suppose if he doesn't mind defying the definition of 'star' pupil he can."

"Whatever. Truth is I really _did _want to check up on your condition, but that's not the only reason I'm here. We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Your students aren't the only ones who need to train, Naruto."

Naruto sighed. He hated it when his old sensei tried to get re-involved in his training. It had rarely been helpful for the last three or so years.

"So you've come to talk to me about my shortcomings?"

"As a matter of fact, I keep a list with me at all times. But let's start with the basics. How's the Hiraishin training going?"

"Great! I applied it successfully in combat for the first time just this week!"

"Excellent! And how did you feel afterwards?"

Naruto sighed. "Like I'd been punched in the stomach. It was a chore just to keep standing."

Jiraiya chuckled; it was progress by baby steps, and it reminded him way too much of Naruto's early attempts at summoning.

"That's the feeling of a third of your chakra being sucked out at once; would have killed a lesser man. How was the accuracy?"

"I was within a few feet; actually, I've found that I can throw a number of the seals and just aim for the general area and I get a lot better accuracy with it."

"Bahh, you shouldn't need to do that if you have the technique down; this isn't like the rasengan, Naruto, you need to do it by the book. Until you can hit the seal _exactly _and do so without using up so much of your chakra, I don't want you even thinking about using it in combat. Understood?"

"Sure, sure. But, I've done a really good job with my dynamic summoning technique!"

"That's wonderful, Naruto, but it's not the same; it's just a basic summoning technique that works using the seals Yondaime designed rather than a contract. The concept is much more difficult to apply in the reverse."

"Alright, fine, jeesh. Steal my thunder more why don't you?"

"I just don't want you hurting yourself using that technique, ok kid? Now then, about your water techniques."

"What about my water techniques?"

"They're sub par, considered what you could be doing with them."

"What are you talking about? I know lots of high level water techniques!"

"Yes, but you need a nearby source of water to perform most of the bigger ones. A true master of water is able to produce it with his own chakra."

"Yeah, but I'd need to be a water type to do that. I'm a wind type."

"No, you'd either need to be a water type or you'd need an inhuman amount of chakra. Guess which you qualify for?"

Of course! He had forgotten that what separated elemental affinity from the simple ability to use an element was chakra efficiency; it would always take less chakra for someone to channel the element they were affiliated with. Therefore, it was normally out of the question for someone without the water affinity to try and refine his technique to that degree; but he had failed to take his own enormous chakra capacity into account.

"It's gonna be really wasteful, even if we refine it, you know?"

"Yeah, but it'll be an invaluable tool to add to your arsenal. And with your stamina, you'll still be able to use it like someone with the affinity without noticing a difference."

"So, are you done reciting my shortcomings?" Naruto ran a nervous hand through his hair. He was beginning to remember why he disliked Jiraiya's 'meetings'.

"No, actually, not quite. The final item on my agenda involves your tenant there."

"You said we can't use him anymore. You made _sure _we couldn't by strengthening the seal the way you did. I can't access his chakra the way I used to be able to."

"Ahh, I said you couldn't continue to use him the way you were. But in my travels I came across a very interesting, very old document by a former kitsune jinchuuriki."

Naruto glared incredulously at Jiraiya.

"The Kyuubi is hardly a regular kitsune."

"Yes, but the abilities are similar and the principles are the same. You can still access some of the Kyuubi chakra, no?"

"A little bit, yeah."

He unconsciously rubbed the strengthened seal on his stomach.

"Then you may yet be able to apply the principles in this manuscript. Just read it, if only to get me to stop bugging you."

"Fine, I'll read it. Anything else you desperately wanted to bother me about?"

"Many things, child, but I'm afraid I don't have the time. Places to be you know."

With that, he prepared to exit through the window once more, but Naruto stopped him.

"Hey, Ero-sennin, why don't you just come in through the door?"

Jiraiya tensed. "Er… I'm not exactly…welcome, here."

Naruto snickered. "You wouldn't stop hitting on the nurses, would you?"

"One day you'll understand, boy!"

"I'm twenty one, Jiraiya!"

But he hadn't heard him. Wherever he was, Jiraiya was well out of earshot of Naruto. It was just like Jiraiya to drop in for five minutes, having not seen him in a year, only to point out his flaws.

Naruto sighed, and laid his head back down on the pillow. He was getting exhausted from all these visitors, and he was still a little sick. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and forget half of the things that had happened today; but alas, whoever it was who was approaching his room so loudly would not let that be; he winced as the door was flung open.

"Naruto."

He perked up immediately.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Wow, you sound excited. Just wanted to say goodbye; I'd stay longer, but I have some things to take care of."

"Was Tsunade-ba-chan too hard on you?"

"Depends on who you ask."

"Well, what was your punishment?"

She sighed. She didn't really want to go into it with Naruto, but he seemed concerned enough.

"She suspended my pay for six months and I'm suspended from the missions outside the village for six months."

Well, it didn't seem that bad. "At least you'll get a nice work vacation."

"I said suspended my pay, not suspended."

"Wait… what?"

"I'm working for nothing, Naruto, which is why I have to go; I have to go tell my parents… that I'm moving back in with them."

"Screw that. You can live at my place."

He hadn't even thought about what he was saying, but had he thought it over he realized he would have done the exact same thing.

"Naruto… you know it's for six months? I won't be able to pay for anything! Not even my own damn food!"

"I don't care, I make more than enough to cover my own expenses, especially considered how low rent the apartment is. It's only one bedroom, so I'll have to sleep on the couch, but I can stand it. I won't even be in the village for most of your suspension, so the space thing won't matter."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't worry about that. Are you gonna accept my offer or not?"

She wanted to pretend like she was considering it, but in truth it was the best thing that had happened to her all day; living with her best friend would be vastly more comfortable than moving back in with her parents. Hell, it might even be fun.

"Sure."

"Great! The keys are in my pants pocket over there, just fetch them out."

"Ahh. Well, guess I'll see you at home then."

It felt weird to say. It was almost like they were married.

"Oh, and thanks a lot, Naruto. You don't know how big a break you've given me."

"No problem Sakura-chan."

He sighed and threw his head against the pillow as she exited the room; well, that was going to be interesting. Potentially uncomfortable, but interesting. The last thought that occurred to him before drifting off was that, nice a guy as he was, he probably wouldn't have done that for anyone but her.

* * *

A/N: First off, I have no good excuse for making ya'll wait so long between updates, so I won't bother. And it seems like every time I promise the chapter sooner it just comes later. So, I'm promising the next one in January, and hopefully you'll get it in a week and a half. 

Not that I think Kishimoto can even read English, but I chuckled a bit reading chapter 359 and seeing two instances of things I had written into my fic appearing in the manga. Considering how everyone says he copies, well, it made me chuckle.

Niigata is an actual prefecture of Japan, and believe it or not it's on the west coast. But, I should probably note that this is not meant to imply that this story takes place in the actual nation of Japan, as some fics seem to. We're still in the Naruverse.

Anyway, I was very pleased with the reviews I got last chapter. It was far and away the most positive response I've gotten for anything I've written yet, and I hope to continue that trend with this chapter (which I at least was very pleased with. Go go Naruto-sensei).

As always, please enjoy and review. Tell me what I did right, what needs improving, where I blatantly abused canon, etc. And speaking of critical input, thanks to JebasHat for beta-ing this chapter. Wouldn't have been nearly as good without his input.

Anyway, this is getting long and mostly non-substantive, so read, review, blah blah, late.


	11. Chapter 11

**Believe it or not, this fic isn't dead. Jiraiya probably is though :(. Also, I don't own any serialized shonen manga, most especially Naruto.**

Chapter 11

"Ugggghhh." 

They were an interesting pair to watch. Or rather, a trio; if one was to count the dog. The one, seeming adrift in an ocean of calm, was perfectly at home in that time of morning between the dawn and when the people wake up to disrupt the tranquility of the world; with his animalistic mask in place, and perched as he was at the edge of the impressive building that housed Konoha's ANBU, he could easily have been mistaken for some gargoyle, were it not for the occasional rustling of his long coat and the faint rattling issuing from the gourd on his back. The other one was his polar opposite; he was all frenetic energy, pacing, groaning, checking the time, and starting the process all over again. Despite the time of morning, he was doing a spectacular job of acting as though he had someplace better to be, and his dog was giving a stellar backup performance, accentuating his groans and complaints with small yips and low whines of his own.

"Ugh, what the hell does he think he's doin', tellin' us to get here at five fuckin' thirty if he's not gonna' show for another half-hour!"

"_Bark!_"

Shino looked in their direction, ANBU mask in place and hiding his expression; good thing too, as he wouldn't want his friend to catch him smiling at the irony of the situation. The only thing more irritating than the Uchiha's belated arrival was the ease with which Kiba was getting annoyed.

"Kiba."

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Wha? But he's a fucking half hour late!"

"Be that as it may, your complaining will not bring him here faster, unless you do so loud enough to wake him, or at least to draw his attention."

The other man briefly considered taking the advice literally, but even he recognized the unnecessary potential for trouble that would come of an ANBU agent being arrested for public misconduct. The law was always screwing with his fun; it was part of the reason he had became an ANBU agent. Though, very few civilized people would share Kiba and Akamaru's ideas of what was 'fun'.

"So what, you're just ok with Sasuke-_sama _wasting our time like this?"

"Your protests are only exacerbating the problem."

"Hehe, exacerbating sounds like…"

Shino held up a hand, not finding himself in the mood for Kiba's sense of humor so early in the morning; and despite his tolerance of the situation, as was to be expected from a ninja of his caliber, it was still _very _early for him to have been awake for this long.

"Don't finish that sentence."

"Ugh, you just don't know fun."

"…people have different ideas of 'fun'."

"Heh, that's what I thought."

"Allow me to rephrase that; obvious sexual humor and bad puns are not everyone's idea of fun."

"Hinata-chan thinks I'm funny." He had mumbled it more to himself, halfway discouraged at Shino's berating of his comedy, but it didn't keep Shino from hearing him.

"No, she thinks you're vulgar."

They didn't talk again for several minutes. They'd long ago come to terms with their different ideas of what was fun and what wasn't. Their relationship was an oddity, but it worked for them; Kiba kept Shino from turning into a brooding shut-in, and in turn Shino kept him out of trouble; and both of them protected Hinata. Whether they were on a mission together, which was becoming increasingly rare, or she just needed time away from her family and the endless responsibilities they seemed to delight in heaping upon her, which was becoming distressingly more frequent, Shino and Kiba were there. The relationship was odd and close and dangerously codependent, but it was something that had worked so well for them as a team that they found it difficult to abandon as their respective careers tried to drag them apart; for at least one of them, that closeness was often the only thing they had to cling to.

_"Bark!" _

"What? Smell something boy?"

"What does he smell?" Irritated as he was at the interruption of his meditative moment, Shino was just as anxious for news of Sasuke's status as Kiba was.

"I don't know man, he can't talk yet. I've been tryin', but all he can say so far is 'chicken'."

Kiba sniffed the air tentatively, trying to get a handle on what it was that had set Akamaru off.

"…If he can't talk, then why do you talk to him?"

"I don't know; don't you talk to your pets?"

"I don't have pets."

"Whatever, just shut up. I think I smell what he does."

Shino waited, patiently holding his tongue until Kiba was able to discern what the smell was.

"Smells like… liquor."

"That will be him then."

Sure enough, it was only moments later that Sasuke, dark circles under his eyes and looking much the worse for wear, came into view.Shino could tell he had been drinking; his bugs could smell it and he could see the visible signs of a rough night.

"Hey, what the hell took ya' so long eh? We've been out here for like, an hour!"

"Slept in."

"Uchiha-san, you really need to stop drinking alone. It's not healthy."

"I was with Naruto."

"Alright! Ya'll go out or what?"

He sighed. "No, Inuzuka, we didn't, because I'm not allowed to leave my apartment after seven, remember?"

"Oh yeah. So, you had a pretty lame night then huh?"

Sasuke could already feel the peculiar headache coming on that he only got from overexposure to high pitched noises or Inuzuka Kiba. If he wasn't so short on friends and competent ninja willing to work with him, he might have seriously considered blowing the guy off.

"That's not important. Do you want to hear the news or not?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I have called both of you here this morning to propose a mission assignment to the both of you."

He paused to examine their individual reactions. He had meant for the statement to be sweeping and grandiose and immediately capture their attention. It was at least partially successful; Kiba seemed on the edge of his seat, and his dog looked ready to explode with the excitement buzzing between them, though that didn't count for much, considering the general enthusiasm dogs have for pretty much everything. Shino, on the other hand, was less than impressed; he was a details man, not one to be roped in by showmanship.

"…You got us up at this hour; for that, Uchiha-san? I certainly hope…"

"I wasn't finished."

Shino nodded. "Go on."

"Anyway, I don't know much about this mission, Tsunade refused…"

"Tsunade-_sama_."

Sasuke sighed. "Tsunade-_sama _refused to give me any details until I'd gotten a team together. It's all very privileged information."

"So… what can you tell us?"

"It's in Niigata, in the west. It's a long term mission, at least six months not including travel time."

"What's the nature of the mission?"

"All Tsuande-sama said beforehand was that she had receive 'disturbing reports' about something in that region. If I had to guess, I'd say it was to analyze the information and neutralize any threat it poses. That's why I came to you; you're the best intelligence team in the service, and some of the best fighters too."

"Heh, damn straight!"

"Indeed."

Kiba was sold; he had been since Sasuke said 'mission'. But Shino was increasingly uneasy the more Sasuke revealed; he'd like to think that his Hokage wasn't an idiot, but only an idiot would send three of her best ANBU on an extended mission based on a 'disturbing report'; _unless _that report was so disturbing that the risk of not investigating it immediately before the situation developed further was greater than the risk of not having those agents on hand to deal with more immediate threats.

"Is that all you can tell us?"

"At the moment, I'm afraid so. She said she'd divulge more pertinent details when I have gathered the team."

"Alright then, let's do it!"

"Kiba, wait."

"Aww, what the hell is it now? You aint' gonna' figure out if it's worth your time or not if you don't just agree to it."

"I still have some questions; what rank mission do you expect this to be?"

He had to think about it for a moment. He hadn't really given it much thought, but if he had to guess, based on the number and type of people being assigned, as well as the length of the thing…

"I don't know, but I'm guessing at least A-class; possibly S."

"And medical support?"

"Well, since it's such a long mission, of course we'll be accompanied by a medic. I've already got somebody lined up though, so don't worry about it."

Shino and Kiba gave each other a look, as though each knew exactly what the other was thinking.

"We have a candidate to propose."

"_Who_?"

He didn't like the tone of Shino's voice; it had the kind of rising inflection one tends to use when asking a favor, and Sasuke hardly wanted to base a decision as critical as the squad's medic on a favor; besides, it wasn't like he was in a position where he needed to be doing favors for _that _guy.

"We would like Hinata-san to accompany us as the squad's medic."

"Which Hinata-san?"

It was a mock stupid question, as he knew exactly which one they were talking about, but for some reason he couldn't quite believe they would want to take _that _Hinata, despite the fact that they had been team mates. Shino stifled Kiba's reflexive smartass response, deciding that, if they wanted this done right, they'd need it done diplomatically.

"Hyuuga Hinata-san, of course."

"…Why?"

"What, you had someone better in mind, Uchiha-san?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. Sakura-san will be an excellent candidate to accompany us on this mission."

"There's nothing Haruno-san can do that Hinata-san can't."

"There's nothing Hinata can do that Sakura can't do _better_."

"She has the Byakugan; it would be an unrivaled information gathering tool if this is indeed a recon mission as you've suggested."

There; he couldn't argue that point, at least not logically.

"True…but she can't fight like Sakura, and a medic needs to be able to defend themselves from any threats they encounter."

"She can defend herself well enough, and her Byakugan will help us to avoid situations where we'll have to expend energy fighting."

The Byakuugan was quickly becoming the focal point of Shino's case for choosing Hinata over Sakura, and not without good reason; the applications of the supreme information gathering tool were nearly endless on a mission that was at least fifty percent information gathering, if not more. In fact, old clan rivalries and his general dislike for most members of the Hyuuga clan aside, he definitely would have tried to get Neji for this mission if the roster had been expanded one member. But never in a lifetime would he have dreamt of bringing _Hinata_. Besides the fact that she had been notable only for how unimpressive she was as a Genin, he knew through various sources that her role as a Konoha shinobi had been greatly diminished a short time before his retrieval, as she had taken on more and more roles as a clan heiress. Even if she had participated in some of the more dangerous missions before then, it would have been years since she had and she would likely be out of practice. Even with the Byakuugan, when all the chips were down Sakura was clearly the better choice, and Shino, being one of the more intelligent inhabitants of the village, had to have known this, leaving only one logical conclusion in Sasuke's mind.

"So what are you getting at?"

"I don't know what you mean, Uchiha-san."

"Why are you so insistent on Hinata, even though Sakura is clearly the better choice; are you _involved _with her?"

"Hmph. Perceptive as ever, Uchiha-san...sort of. Though I am not 'involved' with her, our reason for wanting to include her is largely personal."

"So what's up?"

"She just needs some time off, Sasuke. Just do it as a favor."

_"Oh man, he's really digging deep here."_

"An S-rank mission is hardly a vacation. And besides, I seem to recall a certain someone making life _hard _for me for the past several weeks, by blabbing something to the Hokage that didn't need to be said."

"It needed to be looked into, Sasuke-san."

"But the point is that I hardly owe you any favors."

He nodded at Kiba, who seemed to understand completely, even though no prior conversation had taken place.

"I didn't want it to come to this, Uchiha-san."

"Come to what? You're talking like we're about to fight."

"_Nothing_ of the sort."

It took him a moment to decipher what Shino was implying. He was a difficult read, to say the least, and he was startled for a moment when he finally came to the conclusion Shino was leading him to; it wasn't entirely like him to be so... manipulative.

"So what, you won't come if I don't agree to your terms?"

"Damn right!"

Kiba's response was predictable, and Shino's lack of reaction was more or less on target.

He looked from one to the other, trying to gauge how serious they were about this, and trying to see if he could shake one with an infamous Uchiha glare. But he was underestimating the value of their friendship with Hinata in thinking that they were going to budge on this.

"…I wouldn't have pegged you for the type to make important mission assignments based on favors for friends, Aburame."

"I am well aware of the danger involved in a mission like this, and wouldn't dream of taking her if I didn't think she was perfectly capable of it."

"She's inexperienced."

"She'll learn fast."

Sasuke ran an unruly hand through his as yet unwashed hair, trying to control his breathing. He hadn't expected them to make a demand like this. But Byakugan aside, he couldn't budge on this; they would be fine without it, and for the kind of work they were doing Shino and Kiba's abilities were superior; they didn't rely on the ability to see and could glean information that no sight could. But that only held true if every member of the team stayed alive, and for that he would take no chances. Too much was riding on this mission, both personally and for the sake of the village, to do so for the sake of a favor he didn't owe.

"No."

"What?"

He smirked. "No. If you won't come, I'll get someone else."

Shino stood stock still, saying and feeling nothing as he evaluated Sasuke's response. He wasn't one for optimism, but he had truly expected that to win him over; they were, after all, the best at what they did, and Sasuke was something of a perfectionist. Then again, that was exactly why he was refusing. Admittedly, Sakura was overall the better medic-nin.

He was aware that Sasuke was staring holes through him, awaiting some kind of answer.

"You know we're the best team around for the kind of thing you're talking about, Uchiha-san."

"Your abilities are the best suited, bet you're hardly the most experienced, and there are dozens of ANBU with the abilities for this mission who'd kill for the chance to go."

Shino couldn't meet his gaze anymore. He had little more to bargain with, and Sasuke knew it; the most he could do was make good on his threat and hope to use it as leverage if Sasuke ever needed his abilities again. Though, he was probably more likely to mark it as a betrayal, especially in light of his recently having reported him to Tsunade.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Uchiha-san…"

Kiba, on the other hand wasn't ready to give up, and he wasn't about to be spoken for in the name of diplomacy.

"Man, that's bullshit! Don't just give in like that Shino, she needs this! That damn family of hers…"

Sasuke wasn't paying attention to Kiba after that; it was now crystal clear why they thought she ought to come. She needed a vacation, of sorts; a vacation from family, and from the duties of running her clan. His first reaction was angry. She should be grateful to have a damn family. But that only made him think of his, and he couldn't think of his without thinking of the pain associated, the neglect and the constant striving for approval to receive nothing more than a nod. Were the Hyuuga anything like the Uchiha? He suspected it was so, if Neji was any indication. Would he have turned out like that, had Itachi not done what he did? Worse yet, would he have turned out like Hinata, the disappointing, less talented sibling? It didn't seem all that much better than his current situation, when he thought about it.

For some reason, he couldn't picture her face anymore in his mind's eye; he could only see his younger self, staring at the retreating back of his father. Then it twisted ever so slightly, and he was staring at the face of his brother; not the one he had used with him, but the one he had shown everyone else. It was so much like his, but for one difference; compassion.

He looked up, not aware that in his reverie he had allowed his gaze to wander; Shino and Kiba were arguing, appearing to have almost forgotten his presence. He sighed, knowing that he was probably making a terrible decision from the standpoint of the mission's success.

_"Being human is so god damn troublesome."_

"Alright, whatever. Tell her to meet at my apartment at three o'clock sharp tomorrow afternoon."

As though they were two marionettes controlled by one puppeteer, the two arguing parties turned their attention in unison. Kiba was a bit dumbstruck, completely unable to understand what had made him change his mind so abruptly. Shino, who was the first to recover, had his suspicions, but kept them to himself.

"Is that anything like five thirty sharp?"

"No, it means be there or I'll kill both of you, got it?"

"Hai, Uchiha-san, I'll tell her right away?"

"Whatever."

Without a sound, Shino was away, and only the pattern of falling leaves indicated that he had taken off in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. That just left Sasuke and Kiba standing there in front of a yet to be opened ANBU headquarters; the discomfort settled in immediately.

"Well, I've got places to be. Later, Inuzuka."

"Hey, wait!"

"What?"

"Is it true that Sakura-chan moved in with Naruto-san?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

Kiba scratched his head, surprised that the dubious rumor had been true. "Wow, I didn't know they were like that."

Sasuke smiled, thinking of his friend's mess of a love life and the unusual predicament he'd run head first into.

"He wishes."

* * *

"_Hachoo!"_

Hinata slowly opened her eyes, wrinkling the last of the unexpected irritation out of her nose as she put down the book she had been reading (not a very good one; she was almost grateful for the interruption). The old wives tale would have it that somebody had been talking about her, but who was up at this hour? Certainly not Kiba, and probably not Shino; nobody in the Hyuuga house, which was in fact why she enjoyed getting up so early and made it a point to do so religiously. She kept well enough out of the limelight to keep from being brought up in public discussion more than occasionally, an occurrence which couldn't be helped considering her position… so who could it be?

"Well, it _is _just an old story. Not even a very important one!"

She began to giggle at the sheer frivolity of her train of thought. One of the many perks of being up at this time of the morning was that, without the members of the Hyuuga house constantly dictating to her what was proper behavior for a lady of her stature, she could afford to be downright goofy at times. In fact, there were a lot of things she could do when her relatives were far too asleep to bother her; she could read, for one. Not that the Hyuuga discouraged the activity, but they were of a markedly conservative bent and it really showed when one took stock of their library. All of the books it contained were either instructional or the kinds of old tales that the scholars claimed were important treasures but that made her feel like being someplace else. Actually, come to think of it, the books she adored made her wish she was someplace else too, but in a more romantic and fulfilling kind of way than the standard fare of the Hyuuga house library. She enjoyed gardening to an extent, though she was so naturally calm that the soothing effect most people sought from it only served to bore her after a short time. In fact, after thinking about it she realized that the only time she really enjoyed it was when Neji came to help her.

"Oh, Neji-nisan!"

It had struck her as she wandered the rambling paths of her mind that there _was _in fact one person up at this hour on this particular day that would have reason to talk about her. He had said that he would be going out this morning, something about a meeting… but that wasn't important. What was important is that he was the only one up at this hour who could have been talking about her.

"So, it has to have been Neji-nisan. Score one for Hinata-chan!"

Neji; he had come to mean more to her than almost any person in the world, because among the Hyuuga he had the rare quality of caring about her as a person and caring about her happiness over her duty to the clan. Now that she was able to recall, she realized the very reason he told her about his meeting was that he normally helped her in the garden at least once a week as part of her morning escape, and they had planned to do so today. But now she had a new quandary; who was it Neji was meeting with?

"Naomi-san? No…he wouldn't have to leave the compound to meet with her; but it was an 'N' name…hmm. Oh! Naruto-kun!"

It all came back to her in an instant; Neji had stated the prior evening that Naruto had begged to meet with him in the early morning to ask a favor that 'only a Hyuuga could grant', and that he would have to miss their early morning session.

"But why couldn't he ask _me _to help him? _I_ never tried to kill him! And I have more clout than Neji-nisan! And he _knows _I would do anything for him!"

But really, he didn't know that, because her secret affection for him was still very much a secret, at least to him; if she had given it a bit more thought, she would have realized that Naruto was probably trying to keep from bothering her, but she was halfway to a righteous fury now, and not thinking entirely clearly. She wasn't exactly angry at any person in particular, as it really wasn't in her nature to get angry at people. However, she was positively railing against the cruel forces that controlled fate, which seemed hell bent on keeping her and Naruto apart. However, she was perceptive enough to realize the fact that, in all the years she had known him, she had done very little to help fate along.

"The real problem is that I'm not assertive enough; he doesn't notice me because I try not to be noticed, because I'm afraid of putting my foot in my mouth, but that's just the problem! If I don't take any risks, he'll never see me as anything more than that nice girl from ninja academy. After all, I can't just expect fate to drop him in my lap! The next time I see him in public, I'm going to…"

"Who are you talking to, Hinata-san?"

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the sound of the voice. She knew it belonged to Shino, who was, as usual, perched on the roof of the western edge of the Hyuuga compound, but that didn't do anything to alleviate her start, in no small part due to the fact that he had caught her off guard during a _very _private moment. How much had he heard?

"Oh, Shi-shino-kun! H-how long have you…um, been there?"

She gulped, and beneath his mask he was doing his best to keep from smiling; it had been a little mean of him to ambush her like that, but it had been well worth it. In her moment of weakness, the old Hinata was poking through; darting eyes, flushed cheeks, and serious lip gnawing included. In an odd way, it was kind of endearing.

"Just got here. I guess I must be hearing things, you don't appear to be talking to anybody."

He could have dragged the moment out longer, but he could see that she had had more than enough, and unlike Kiba, he prided himself on knowing when to end a joke.

"Um, would you like to come down from there? I keep saying you can use the front door…"

Shino, accepting her invitation, jumped gracefully down from his perch on the roof and into the garden below, a feat which always impressed her since she had no idea how he pulled it off so easily with such a large gourd strapped securely to his back.

"I would, but nobody's up at this hour, to say nothing of the fact that it's getting very difficult to see you without an appointment."

He hadn't meant for his last comment to be hurtful, but he could see on her face that she was sorry all the same, and he cursed himself silently for it. It was more like Kiba to say something like that; he had always prided himself on being the perceptive and empathetic one.

"I didn't mean to say that it was your fault…"

"Oh, I know! Did I make you think that I thought that? I'm sorry Shino-kun, I didn't mean to make it seem as though I thought that, I'm just very sorry I don't get to see you anymore, or Kiba-kun for that matter, or Akamaru; oh, it's really been to long since we've all been together! If only I could…"

"Ahem, Hinata-san."

"Wha? Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…"

If he didn't stop this soon she'd be saying sorry until dusk. Although, he had to admit that her flustered shame spirals were amusing to watch.

"I'm sure you are, Hinata-san."

"Oh. Um, right."

She was blushing and silent, the standard indication that she had caught Shino's hint and calmed herself down some.

"So, um, why are you up this early? And visiting me, for that matter? Hey, were you talking about me earlier Shino-kun!?"

"Yes…why?"

"Oh, no reason!"

He could only puzzle over her quiet but obvious elation as he pondered how he could approach this topic. Even though he'd strong-armed Sasuke into seeing things his way, Hinata would in many ways be even more difficult to convince. She had grown a lot in the past few years, but those gains would likely not extend to fieldwork, which she had had very little experience with. If there was one thing he could capitalize on though, it would be her exasperation with her family.

"So, Hinata-san, how are things around here?"

Not exactly the most eloquent start, but he was never much of an improviser.

"Um, alright I suppose. Awfully busy for me, though."

"How so?"

She was looking away from him as he answered, one of many subtle indications that she was uncomfortable and anxious. Shino had learned over the years to pick up on most of them.

"Well, my father's saying that he's pleased with how much I've grown as a head of the household… he says he's going to start transferring more of his administrative duties to me, and, um…"

"What?"

"He wants to make me head of the clan within the next few years, which means…"

"No more missions."

"Yes… and I probably won't be able to help out at the hospital anymore either."

He could tell by the frown slowly creeping across her face that she was extremely distressed about that particular casualty of her position; though she had always displayed some talent for medicine, it was only a few years ago that she had started working part-time at the hospital, where she discovered that she in fact had a considerable talent for medicine. That had been a huge step for her; unlike Sakura, who was an excellent fighter as well as being a good medic, Hinata was a largely mediocre fighter, and even then only after a great deal of work and training on her part. Her lack of performance in the ring had been traumatizing for her as the heir of the largely combat oriented Hyuuga clan. It had been her discovery of her abilities as a medic-nin that had, along with his and Kiba's support, led to the new confidence with which she carried herself. In fact, it had been the awakening of her talents as a medic-nin that had caused her to grow in the way she needed to in order to begin leading her clan, which Shino realized quickly led to an interesting conundrum; working at the hospital had initially given her the confidence she needed to run the clan and continued to give her the emotional energy to do so, but leading the clan left her with no time to work at the hospital.

"How's that been working out, by the way?"

"What now?"

"Working at the hospital…"

"Oh! Wonderful! Sakura-san says I'm already a lot better than some of the people who work there…she says that if I worked full time I might even be as good as her. Better, if the Byakugan has some of the advantages in medical treatment she suspects it does."

"Ahh… you sound like you really enjoy it."

"Yeah…"

_"Told you so, Uchiha-san." _

Too bad Sasuke wasn't here to eat his words about Hinata's abilities, and hearing it indirectly from Sakura that she was so competent made him feel a little better about his conviction to take Hinata with them (though he had witnessed her talents firsthand and had no doubt that she was good). But, the break in the conversation and Hinata's mood of apprehension made for an excellent segue into the topic of concern.

"So, sounds like you need a vacation."

"Mmm, Yes."

"Well… how would you like to come with myself and Kiba on a little mission?"

"A mission is hardly a vacation, Shino-kun."

"Heh, interesting."

"What?"

"That's almost exactly what Uchiha-san said."

Her nose scrunched up as though she smelt something dirty.

"What does he have to do with it?"

"He's the team lead, of course."

"Yuck, no thanks then."

"What, you really hate him that much?"

Shino was puzzled; he knew that Sasuke, though he didn't think much of her, was mostly indifferent to Hinata, but Hinata seemed to actively dislike Sasuke, which was odd considered that they had never, to the best of his knowledge, had any significant interaction.

"I just don't like him. He's rude and cold and a traitor to the village. I really don't see why they let him out of prison."

Well, he knew all about that.

"This is because he hurt Naruto-san that one time, isn't it?"

"No! It has nothing to do with that! Whatsoever!"

"Your face says otherwise, Hinata-san." If she had been beet red before, it was nothing compared to this.

"Stop changing the subject! And besides, if this mission involves you, Kiba-kun, and Uchiha-san, it must mean it's no patrol mission. It's probably an extended and highly dangerous mission, which I'm not qualified for."

Well, he knew she was intelligent, but he was still surprised that she had guessed so much from so little information.

"Well…yes. But I still think you should come with us, it's mostly a surveillance mission, meaning you'll be a great help aside from your medical abilities. Kiba-san and I will keep you out of the line of fire if it turns violent, which it shouldn't with our combined detection abilities."

"No thanks, Shino-kun."

"But don't you want to get away from your family for a while?"

The focus of her gaze dropped to the ground, and he could tell he had hit a nerve; really, it was the first victory he'd had in this little negotiation.

"Yes… but not with him."

"Kiba-san and I will be there, it won't be that bad."

"I have my duties here, Shino-kun."

"Well, okay then. I hope you have fun without Kiba-san and I for the next six months."

The confidence and finality within with which she had uttered her refusal was gone in an instant, replaced with confusion and anxiety. When she had guessed it was a long mission, she was thinking one, two months tops; but half a year?

"You said… six months?"

"At least; possibly longer."

She was gnawing her lip anxiously at this point, one of the nervous habits she had never quite dropped. Six months without her two best friends she could handle, but what if they were gone longer? Could she handle eight months with nobody to support her when her family duties got out of hand? What about a year? Neji would be there for some of the time, yes, but he was an elite Jounin, and when the war ramped up he would inevitably be sent off somewhere else to help fight it, leaving her all alone with her family.

Was her family really so bad if she didn't have Kiba, Shino, or Neji around to brighten her day and lighten her load? Sadly, the answer was yes. The amount of work wouldn't have been such a bad thing if it weren't for the fact that she hated every bit of it. Most of the household administration she could frankly care less about, and that was the easiest part of her job. She hated village and council politics, to say nothing of the more delicate internal politics of the clan. And she couldn't stand being stern with people. Everyone else in the family seemed not to have a problem with it, but it nearly broke her heart every time she had to do it. If she could have passed it off on somebody else, she would have; but she couldn't. Neji couldn't, even though a lot of the clan would have preferred it, and even if he could, Hinata thought he was a greater asset to the village as an active duty Jounin, and one of the founding principles of the clan was that the village always came first. She could try to give it to Hanabi, who in her honest opinion would do a better job of it, but until her eighteenth birthday she was ineligible. That only left her, firstborn daughter of the clan head. She often wondered what it would be like to have been a younger twin, or the second daughter, or even of a different family; in short, she dreamt of having a choice.

Was this a normal family relationship? No, it obviously wasn't normal, but was it healthy? Was it healthy to stress duty and sacrifice and what was good for the clan over happiness and personal fulfillment? Well, all shinobi were expected to adhere to some kind of similar code; to put the village before oneself, to be prepared to give one's life for the good of the village and to always follow the orders of his or her superiors, but within those general guidelines a shinobi was more or less free to do as he pleased. She wasn't even free to do that; she wasn't even free to pick who she married…

"Hinata-san?"

"Oh…um, sorry Shino-kun, I drifted off a bit…"

"Clearly; I hope you were at least considering my offer?"

"Um, a little bit…what rank do you think it will be?"

"A or S-rank; the details are hazy so far, Uchiha-san will be able to tell us more when we get the last member of our team."

"I'm not qualified for that!"

"According to Sakura-san, you're more qualified for your role in this mission than most other ninja we'd have to choose from."

"Um…I guess." Her lip was beginning to redden from constant worried chewing; given the latest facts, the mission was looking better all the time.

"So?"

"It doesn't matter. Otosan wouldn't allow it."

She was convinced, but apprehensive; she was trying to find reasons why she couldn't go other than because she didn't want to.

"He doesn't get to disallow it if the Hokage-sama orders it; his political clout may be comparable, but in military matters the Hokage's word is final."

"Um…I suppose that's right…"

"So, will you come with us?"

Six months away from home, away from duty, and with two of the most important people in her life; despite Sasuke's presence and the absence of Naruto's, it was sounding better all the time (she had often hoped that fate would throw them into a long term mission together where he'd fall in love with her, but it had never quite worked out as well as it invariably did in her frequent daydreams). Her father would be displeased to say the least; but that was nothing new, and she could always just say that the Hokage had ordered her to go.

"…I guess; I don't know what I'd do for that long without you guys. But…I really wish we could do it without Uchiha-san!"

"Good. I'll dismiss your comments about Uchiha-san, since most people who don't really know him don't much care for him; meet me at my place tomorrow at two thirty, from there we'll head to his apartment to discuss the particulars of the mission…it will be good to see you again, Hinata-san."

Without another word he was gone, exiting via the same unorthodox route he had come by. Hinata studied the settling foliage where he had been moments before while she pondered the sudden turn her life had taken. It was an oddly significant moment, she realized, because this marked the largest decision she'd ever been allowed to make for herself. The consequences of this mission could be huge; success and good performance could lead her down a completely different path from the one she was unwillingly walking, or she might get a pat on the back and go right back to her life as an heiress. But despite the eventual outcome, she had been faced with an ultimately life altering choice and been allowed to make it on her own, and she found the freedom of self determination to be thrilling, if a little daunting.

But she frowned visibly when she thought of the leader of their expedition; she had the distinct feeling that Uchiha Sasuke would be a problem for her no matter how hard she tried to stay out of his way. Shino was right that she had never had any significant interaction with him, even if you counted a friendly hello as significant interaction. In fact, she had only had one notable moment involving him, if one could even call it that. It was the first day he came back to school when his family was killed; rumors were flying around the school about what exactly had happened. Stories ranged from food poisoning to a demon attack, but Hinata had overheard her father talking about 'a slaughter', and knew that whatever he had witnessed it had been more traumatizing then any of the other children could have imagined. She wanted to say something, anything, because he looked so heartbroken, but all she could do was stare and worry. And then he caught her gaze, and try as she might to look away he bored into her with those empty dark eyes of his. At first they seemed to be pleading for something, and when she couldn't respond they turned angry and hurt; that was the part that stuck with her. It terrified her to the point that she ran all the way home, and when she came back the next day he had changed. It was subtle, since he had always been silent and very proud of being an Uchiha, but it was definitive; he went from being proud to arrogant, quiet to cold, and shy to asocial. It was one of the odder moments of her academy days…

"Hinata-san?"

She was startled out of her reverie for what seemed the tenth time that morning, an unnerving indication that her fieldwork was rusty.

"Oh, Hanabi-san… you startled me."

"Maybe you should get your head out of the clouds then oni-chan!" Hinata noted that her sister was unusually energetic, considering that she was hardly a morning person.

"Will otosan be up soon?"

"Just got up, actually."

"Alright then."

Hinata sighed as she brushed a bang out of her eyes and examined the book that lay long forgotten on the ground at her knees. It was time for her to put on her smile and sit up and act like a Hyuuga lady again; just like every day, except for one notable difference. Her smile was genuine.

* * *

"So… you got Uchiha on board by telling him you wouldn't go without Hinata-chan and you got Hinata-chan on board by threatening to leave without her?" 

Shino sighed, annoyed at Kiba's questioning; he had wanted to speak with her alone, but Kiba had insisted on coming anyway, an unpleasant surprise Shino had only discovered as he was leaving the place.

"Yes, what of it?"

"Does being a devious bastard ever get to you or are you pretty much ok with it by now?"

If he didn't know Kiba's quirky sense of humor he would have thought he was being accused of something. So maybe he was being a little manipulative, but it was in everybody's interest; no harm no foul, as far as he was concerned. Besides, why shouldn't he exploit his talents?

"Pretty much ok with it I suppose."

"So… you're sure of this then?"

"Of course."

"What if we run into something we can't get her out of?"

"You're forgetting that Uchiha-san will be there as well; there's very little we'll conceivably run into that the three of us can't handle."

"Still man, it's an awfully dangerous mission to be including her in. I mean, escorts are one thing, but this…"

Shino was getting annoyed; it was fairly well established fact that he was smarter than Kiba. He had considered all of that and more, and still found it advantageous to include her, so why was he protesting?

"Just trust me, alright?"

For some reason, Kiba was finding that a hard mantra to live by.

* * *

_"Naruto…"_

"Ugghhh?"

_"Naruto?"_

What time was it? Far too early to be woken up, that was for sure; especially by something other than an alarm clock. His alarm clock didn't talk… at least when he was around.

_"Naruto, get up or else…"_

Ahh, so that was it. It must have been a dream, because that was Sakura's voice, and there was no way she would be in his apartment at this hour. But it was one of those dreams where he knew he was dreaming; he had read about these, and that the dreamer could essentially control all reality within the dream.

_"Might as well have fun with this while it lasts; Sakura…hmmm…leaps on top of me! She can't wait to have me!"_

_"Don't say I didn't warn you!"_

"Gahhh!"

Oh, right; this wasn't a dream, she was in his apartment this early, and not for the reason he'd have liked. She was there because Tsunade had suspended her pay for saving his life and she wasn't able to afford her own apartment, and aside from the fact that he'd do anything for her he was too nice a guy to turn out a homeless friend. And as for the sudden pain in his stomach; that was because in lieu of gently shaking him or turning on the lights to wake him up, she had opted to jump over the back of the couch he was sleeping on and onto his exposed stomach. This was not at all what he meant when he had in mind when he commanded that she leap on top of him.

"Get…off…please. You're going to… reopen my wound!"

The only response he got was that wicked little laugh of hers; he was five times as fun to mess with in the morning as he was fully awake. Only permanent marker could have made the moment better; she'd have to remember to pick it up at the store later.

"I _told _you I would resort to drastic measures if you didn't wake up, Naruto-kun! And besides, I'm not _nearly_ heavy enough to rupture a perfectly healthy intestinal tract."

"Huh, you wish."

He regretted his cheek as soon as the words left his mouth; he hadn't meant to say it, it had just kind of come out. But long and painful experience had beaten it into him that Sakura didn't much care for excuses, and he closed his eyes and waited for the blow that was sure to come.

"Oh, it's no fun if you're going to be such a baby about it. Come on, open your eyes wimp."

She rolled off his tender abdomen and onto the other end of the couch as he complied, slowly, as if sudden movement would startle her. She was smiling at him, and helping herself to a cup of his instant ramen for an early breakfast. She was wearing something vaguely familiar; were those his pajama bottoms?

"Are those my pajamas?"

"And your shirt!"

"Nice; you couldn't find anything better for breakfast?"

"You don't keep anything better for breakfast baka-chan; when was the last time you went grocery shopping, anyway? Your pantry's empty."

"Jeesh, sorry your highness; it's not like I'm putting you up in _my _apartment, or sleeping on my couch while _you _get your proper beauty rest in _my_ bed or anything."

"Don't flatter yourself; the mattress is lumpy and too soft."

"Damnit, it's broken in how I like it!"

She laughed, genuinely entertained at his grumpy mood. "Relax, I'm kidding; thanks for everything, by the way. I don't know how I'd have dealt with this if you didn't volunteer to put me up for nothing."

He rubbed the back of his head as he sat up, trying to find one of the myriad appliances with a clock attached to it. "Eh, don't mention it, anything for a friend. Hey, what time is it?"

"Mmm, about six forty-five."

He groaned audibly; was she a morning person? "Why the hell did you get me up this early?"

"Because you told me to genius; you said you had some kind of meeting with Neji-san before the alliance summit."

"Oh…crap." He had told her that, as a contingency in case he didn't get up in time, which he really wasn't counting on. He would have told her to get him up earlier, but he didn't want to bother her too much; and now he was fifteen minutes late, and Neji was in all likelihood eight different kinds of pissed off. And on top of that, he had to convince him to help train Naomi in time to get to the alliance summit early (a requirement of the guardsman).

"What, late? That's what you get for staying out all night with Sasuke!"

He grumbled out some kind of excuse as he searched for the nearest clothes he could find; namely, what he had worn the night before. Tsunade would have wanted him to wear a standard Jounin uniform, but she would have to put up with his standard black ensemble; he really didn't have time to search for it, and it would probably have to be dry cleaned after spending several years on the floor of a dank closet anyway. He was trying to hop his way into his pants when he remembered his third commitment of the day.

"Hey, Sakura-chan."

She looked up from her cup of breakfast to examine him in his less than dignified state. "No, I will not help you with your pants."

"No, not that, shut up! Um…anyway, I probably won't be back until late tonight, just feel free to use anything you need…"

"I was going to anyway, but thanks for the permission!"

"Great… anyway, if you absolutely need to go get anything I keep some cash stashed in an old milk carton on top of the fridge."

"Already found it. Where are you going, anyway?"

He chose to ignore the fact that she had apparently conducted a full search of his home within two days of entering it. "I've got to go to Sasuke's after the summit."

She pouted. "You went there last night, and whenever you go to Sasuke's you wind up drinking too much. What if _I _get bored, hmm?"

He winced as he pulled his shirt on over his head. She was right about the drinking thing at least; he was contending with a splitting headache at the moment, and as far as he was concerned it was all Sasuke's fault for being on parole.

"It's not like that; I've got to try to convince him to help me train one of my kids. And I'm really sorry about leaving you alone like this but it's really important; I promise we'll do something big tomorrow, alright?"

"Well, if it's for one of your kids I suppose I can't argue… but if I find out you had even _one _sip of…"

But he wasn't paying attention; he couldn't. He was already out the door and halfway down the hall to the stairs, sprinting frantically towards his rendezvous with Neji.

"Humph." It was a mostly futile pout, as her only audience was the crappy television and the fast cooling cup of instant ramen, but she didn't care. Really, she was more disappointed about having to entertain herself than Naruto going out with Sasuke again. If he said it was for his kids, two conditions held true; he wasn't lying, and he wasn't going to stop until Sasuke killed him or agreed to give whatever assistance Naruto requested. His dedication to them really was that strong. It was a mystery, really; he hadn't had any role models like that in his early life. He hadn't had anyone until team seven.

_"And that's exactly it."_

Of course, it always came back to his childhood. Or more appropriately, like of childhood; the fact that he'd had to raise himself had left him with little of what could have been called a childhood. But that pain and absence of guidance was what was driving him now, to be a mentor to his charges and one day to his people. It was all working out for the better, at least.

"Though he seems to have missed a few important steps along the way…"

She sighed as she looked at the state of his apartment; it was obvious that he'd never had a mother. Even by early twenties guy standards, the place was a wreck. For some reason, it reminded her of that time with Sasuke in the park, when they had first become a team; they hadn't even taken the Genin exam yet, and all she knew about Naruto was that he was loud, annoying, and by all appearances perfectly happy. Sasuke had not only shattered her hopes of a first kiss, but he had forced her to consider, for the first time, that Naruto was more human than he let on, and that had led to a startling and unnerving series of revelations. Suffering had never been a part of her world; it was something that happened in distant places to distant people, but the possibility and later confirmation that Naruto's personality was his best means of coping with years of neglect put that suffering right in her face in a way that she couldn't easily ignore. Coupled with the subsequent mission to the Land of Waves, it was a rather rough induction into the real world.

A pang of guilt accompanied the revelation; every time she thought back to that one instant where her opinion of him began to change, she couldn't help but feel a little shame. She could tell herself that she wasn't to blame, that everyone was just as ignorant of his suffering as she was, but at the end of the day she still felt like she should have known better.

_"You're supposed to be the smart one."_

But even the smart one isn't immune to social conditioning. Even the smartest nine year olds don't question their parents when they say 'don't play with that boy'. It was a wonderful bit of social commentary, but it really didn't make her feel any better. But it didn't do well to dwell on such things. She was just a person, and people were fallible, and teenagers were more-so. And besides, she had errands to run, after a quick shower. Her new roommate couldn't shop to save his life, much less to feed himself or his guests; a fact that had become painfully obvious when she had perused his pantry.

Good thing she knew where his money was.

* * *

"…Why are you picking your own lock?" 

Sasuke interrupted his work to stare at his companion, genuinely fascinated that he would ask such a dimly inspired question.

"To get into my house, obviously."

"So what, you forgot your keys but remembered your burglary kit?"

"No, I always break into my own home."

Naruto, taking this for sarcasm, decided not to egg him on further.

He shivered, rubbing his bared arms to try and keep warm; the summit had taken all day, and it was reaching that time of year in Konoha when the nights lengthened and became chill. As such, he was becoming extremely impatient with Sasuke's idiosyncratic need to break into his own home.

"If you do this all the time, why is it taking you so damn long?"

"I just had the locks changed; it will only take longer if you distract me."

Naruto complied, taking the opurtunity to run through the day's events in his head. The meeting with Neji had gone well, at least. He had been annoyed, but as soon as Naruto had made clear what he needed done he was nothing but compliant; he had been clear about the limitations of what he could do, but nonetheless he agreed to help in the way Naruto had requested.

The summit had been...interesting, in places. The rest of the eight hours had been fairly dull though. Still, it was good to hear from and talk to the Shida representatives, and Itoue had been something else; he looked exactly like Zabuza, spoke like him; if it weren't for the fairly noticeable new prosthetic leg, he'd have been indistinguishable. He was a bit gruff at the negotiations table, but he was reasonable. In fact, everyone was. It baffled him that it had taken them eight hours to essentially agree that they all wanted to be allies when they had come into the meeting with that sentiment. But the vast majority of the time was spent on details Naruto would never have considered without being told he had to. How would the forces be divided up? Who would defend what fronts? Would forces be combined or separated by village? Who would perform support roles and who would back who up if a line broke? How would supply lines be secured and who would be responsible for the prompt delivery of said supplies? And these subjects he had been attentive of were only a fraction of what was discussed.

First and foremost, everyone agreed that, with the exception of holding territory to deprive the enemy of its benefits, no one was particularly interested in conquest, with the exception of Suna. There was nowhere for the Wave to expand that they could expect to reasonably control; the nearest state was the Fire Country, who for obvious reasons they couldn't expect to gain territory from. The second nearest, the Moon Country, was separated from them by several hundred miles of ocean, leaving any occupation force cut off from support. Shida, whose primary neighbors of interest were the Earth and Lightning countries, couldn't possibly hope to muster an occupation force that could control territories so much larger than itself; Konoha's only prospect was the Earth Country, which, though rich in mineral resources, had existed so long as an independent entity that any occupation would meet with more nationalistic opposition than it was worth it to try and oppose. Suna, however, had displayed a keen interest in acquiring some of the countries that lie between it and Earth. Though they were small compared to the massive Wind Country, they were comparatively rich in resources, and their potential to offer resistance was limited compared to a country like Earth or Water.

From there, it was decided who would be deployed where; it had already been decided that Naruto would be deployed with a force of Konoha ninja to defend the northern border, where a smaller force of Suna shinobi would back them up. The forces of Shida would be divided into two; one would be left in the Forest Country to defend the border against Lightning, backed up by a Konoha force led by Kakashi. The other half would be further sub-divided into a number of quick moving strike forces that could be deployed all over the continent; their job would be to support the main bodies of forces with enhanced scouting, assassination, and lightning raid capability.

Nami presented a bit of a problem; its greatest strength, being far away from everything, was also its greatest weakness. If an attack force managed to get a foothold within the country, they would have a convenient base with which to attack the village, in addition to the fact that it would become difficult or impossible to support it from the mainland. Thus, work had already begun not only fortifying the bridge between Wave and Fire, but a small fleet of swift transport vessels to be stationed in ports along the coast of Fire Country which could deliver supplies and troops in the event of a hostile invasion. With a strong showing of Konoha shinobi defending both sides of the bridge and the bridge itself, the wave could keep a minimal defense force on hand, allowing them to concentrate their efforts in the gap left between the lines of Konoha commanded by Naruto and those of Shida. Since a number of the ninja in Nami were from the several small countries that occupied this area, it was reasoned that they would not only know more regarding the techniques of those villages, but in the event that an invasion was deemed necessary, their ninja would be more able to overcome the defenses of those villages than Konoha or Shida-nin.

Finally came the Wind Country, and that was where the alliance hit on a bit of luck; Suna had only one border in need of defense, and the miles of dessert between their enemies and the village itself made it very easy for the acclimated shinobi of Suna to defend with only small elite raiding forces and some backup from Shida. Thus, when taking into account the force that was backing up Naruto, nearly two thirds of the Suna ninja were left more or less free. These would be formed into a single body under the command of Baki, and they would be a powerful mobile strike force. If an invasion was ordered or a particular are fell under heavy attack, this force would be moved to that area to back up the existing forces and provide the body count that any one of the forces ultimately lacked to fulfill these objectives. The only contingency was that it could not be split; if it was continually subdivided it would lose its potency, and eventually its ability to perform its duties effectively.

This was about the point in the meeting where he lost interest. Luckily for him it was also at this point in his internal dialogue that Sasuke finally got the door open. He bolted inside, not bothering to allow the primary tenant to enter ahead of him. It didn't take him long to make himself at home either; it wasn't that he was rude by nature, but rather that he enjoyed goading Sasuke into displaying emotion. It was good for his development as a human being, he reasoned. Much to his disappointment, Sasuke had seen this display far too many times to be much affected by it. He calmly removed his shoes by the doorway and shut it, making sure to lock it with the key he had in fact had all along, and took his place on the opposite side of the couch from Naruto, flicking on the TV as he did so. If they weren't drinking and they weren't sparring, they were often doing this; watching TV and occasionally talking. It's not that Sasuke didn't want to do more exciting things, but he _was _a twenty one year old man with a curfew; what the hell else was he supposed to do?

It was a while before either of them spoke; Sasuke knew that some favor was being asked of him, because Naruto had stated as much, but he wasn't exactly forthcoming with favors these days and he wasn't about to grant it to Naruto if he didn't muster the brain power to make an eloquent argument. This difficulty was, consequently, exactly why Naruto was having difficulty speaking up; he knew he couldn't just ask him outright. If he didn't draw him in and pique his interest, Sasuke would never agree to do this; he looked to the television for inspiration. But he only became more puzzled as he pondered what it was that they were watching. It kept referring to the Hidden Leaf Village… but the footage couldn't have been taken anywhere in the Fire Country, at least not the part the Leaf resided in. As he continued watching, it seemed to unfold that the thing was a documentary… but all the facts were totally inaccurate. It was subtle, though; the Village they referred to was convincing enough, complete with a fake Hokage monument; the location they gave was even sound, but it didn't look anything like the Hidden Leaf he'd observed so fondly from the heads of the real Hokages. And the few depictions of ninja were deceptively accurate, even in some cases depicting accurate portrayals of some of the Leaf's more powerful hidden techniques, something that, off the top of his head, Naruto would have thought a very serious breach of security. But everything else was off; completely. He scoffed at some of the figures they quoted, causing Sasuke, who up until now had been looking on in mild amusement, to turn to him.

"What?"

"Hm?"

"What's so funny?"

"Oh. It's just so damn inaccurate is all. The leaf doesn't have any fifteen-thousand shinobi. We barely have half that; what the hell kind of documentary is this?"

Sasuke smirked "War propaganda."

"What?"

"War propaganda; the ANBU's misinformation department has been working on it for a while now. We figured the shinobi won't be fooled, but it's subtle enough that it should spread fear and misinformation through the civilian populations."

Naruto nodded, suddenly comprehending; that would explain why they picked a false location for the Hidden Leaf, but went to the trouble of adding a fake Hokage monument (which he suspected was crafted via ninjutsu); a number of defensive secrets could be gleaned from imagery of the real village, but lack of the monument would immediately single it out as a fake. It also explained why the depictions of the ninjutsu and shinobi were fairly accurate; sprinklings of the truth could only strengthen the lie. But that still left a single very important question.

"Why'd they show em' our techniques? Isn't that a huge breach of security?"

"Not quite. Most of the effects are well documented, we're just reinforcing the fear. If you watch closely, you'll notice that we never show someone performing the hand seals, just the techniques themselves."

He seemed to take an odd satisfaction in explaining it to Naruto; he had, after all, had a huge part in planning the piece, and like all of his work took great pride in it. And, upon closer inspection, Naruto saw that he was right; they only showed the techniques in action, from which very little on its execution could be gleaned.

"Huh, never seen that technique."

"It's Dance of the Crescent Moon; kind of a rare Kenjutsu-ninjutsu combo."

Like a bolt of lightning out of the blue, a brilliant segue had fallen into his lap; keep Sasuke talking about swords, and eventually he could introduce the topic of his student.

"Do you know it?"

"No. It's useless for a speed fighter like me."

"But aren't the clones beneficial as a distraction and a second attack option?"

Sasuke scoffed, amused that Naruto immediately leapt on the advantage of the clones without considering the drawbacks. "I could get in five cuts in the time it takes to cast that technique. The surprise potential is more valuable to me."

"Wow, five cuts eh?" Naruto decided not to point out the tremendous surprise attack potential of clone technique; it wouldn't do to get off track on a debate on ninjutsu tactics.

"Yeah, want me to show you?"

"Heh, get over yourself. Where did you learn to use that thing so well, anyway?"

"Orochimaru-_sensei, _obviously."

The edge in his voice indicated that he did _not _like talking about it; it was time for Naruto to save this conversation, and he wasn't going to do it by asking how an average swordsman like Orochimaru had managed to train him so well.

"Do you know any other styles then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm no expert, but aren't there different styles of swordsmanship?"

"Most modern teachers discourage the teaching of styles, kind of like Taijutsu; use whatever works best in a given situation is their mantra."

"Yeah, but what about fighting with a larger sword like Zabuza-san or using two swords?"

It wasn't a subtle way to introduce the topic, but it was the best he could come up with on the fly.

"Yeah, I know the two swords style. It's got some ridiculously long name. I learned it from a book."

Naruto looked at him oddly, puzzled by his statement."Then how can you say you know it?"

"It was an illustrated book."

He activated his Sharingan for a split second to clarify his point. Naruto just gaped; talk about unfair.

"What, you can do that?"

"If there's a thorough illustration of all the stances and moves, it's not that hard to copy them and imitate them in real life. The text helps too, of course."

"So, you really know it pretty well, just by reading it with your Sharingan?"

"I've used it about two times, but yeah."

Sasuke was unusually forthcoming with information; if he wasn't engaged by this point in the conversation he would be trying to redirect it or end it altogether.

"Do you think you know it well enough to teach it?"

"Ha, you'll have to try harder than that."

"Wha'? What do you mean?"

Of course, he knew exactly what Sasuke meant, but he was having trouble believing he'd been shot down so thoroughly so quickly.

"You want me to train one of your students, right?"

"So you will?"

He smirked. "Why should I? I'm a busy ANBU agent with an impending mission and a million and one other duties to see to in the mean-time, why should I care about what happens to this ultimately inconsequential Genin?"

Naruto could hardly believe his ears; here Sasuke was, a person he thought was his friend, saying right to his face that he didn't care whether his student lived or died. There had to be a mistake.

"Why should you?! Because you fucking can, that's why! He's going to the front line to spill his damn guts out if someone doesn't make him the best ninja he can be and I can't be that person! Our styles are too different; but you can be that person, and he's of your village, and he's a human being, isn't that enough?! What the fu…"

Naruto paused mid-rant, realizing that Sasuke probably wasn't paying attention anymore. He was too busy chuckling, which for him might as well have been gasping for air laughter; that soft, dry chuckle that seemed to run in his family. Though, his was a little warmer than his brother's. He just sounded arrogant, but Itachi's sounded darker and more ominous, like a vulture with a severely dry throat. But regardless of which member of the clan used it, it meant that they found something genuinely hilarious; what was it, the fact that he actually stood up for people he cared about?

"What?"

"Relax, baka, I was screwing with you."

"Oh fuck you!"

"Shhh, enough of that. Tell me about this kid."

"What?"

"Tell me about him; everything. I've got nothing but time."

"Why?"

He held his hands up in a clueless gesture, intending it to be nothing but sincere but coming off as sarcastic.

"Is it such a crime to be curious?"

Naruto fell back against the couch. He didn't know when he had risen to his feet; probably sometime during his tirade against Sasuke.

"…His name is Ryotaro Shiba."

"The one with the white hair?"

"Yeah, him. He's the first from their clan to graduate from our ninja academy."

"Ouch. Must have hurt."

Naruto didn't have to guess what he was talking about; he could see the discrimination that the Shiba clan faced for being outsiders, and was intelligent enough to gauge with a fair bit of accuracy how much that sentiment would translate to their children.

"Yeah, you can imagine. I still don't think he has any friends; Naomi-san is fair enough with him, but Akira-san treats him like something dirty. I think he feels like he can earn their respect if he just proves himself, so he tries really hard to do his best and draw attention to himself, but he only alienates them even more."

"Heh, I have the distinct feeling I've been here before."

"Yeah."

Sasuke sighed; there was one in every generation it seemed like. There was one team that despite its outward appearance of talent and promise was destined for tragedy. Sometimes it was due to internal strife; sometimes overcoming internal strife was the last great thing they did before crumbling. The Sannin had been it for their generation, Kakashi's team was his own, and Team Seven had proudly continued that legacy. Would Naruto's team be any different?

"So when do you think they'll reach critical mass."

"I don't think they will."

"Hmm?"

"I've got at least two prior examples of teams gone horribly wrong, and I don't see that happening to this team; I just don't see something that's going to lead them down that road… the one most likely to do something like that would be Ryo-san, but he's enough of an optimist that I think I can turn him away from that if I can just get somebody to accept him."

"That's an awfully optimistic way of looking at things…"

Naruto scratched the back of his head; it was a little foolish to think he could prevent every ill that might befall them, but they had so much promise that he couldn't ignore. Their problems were so trivial compared to what team seven and the Sannin had faced, if he could just correct the small things…

"And what if one of them dies?"

"Well obviously that's why I need you."

Sasuke gave him an odd look, not entirely understanding what he was getting at.

"How so?"

"There's no way they're going to survive this mission unless I at least make them Chuunin level ninja in the next month. I can't do that for Ryo-san; he's a weapons specialist, and I don't know a damn thing about weapons that they didn't teach us at the academy."

"Ahh…so this goes back to the kenjutsu?"

"Yeah."

"So then who's taking care of the other two brats?"

"Neji and Shikamaru, you can probably figure out who's training who."

"Yeah…"

He wasn't really paying attention, far too lost in thought to care about the answer to the question. He could see the basics of what Naruto was getting at here. It was what Kakashi had done to prepare them for the Chuunin exams, and in essence make them chuunin level ninja. Find someone whose style the student could bests emulate and split them off for individual training. And though the best trainer for Naruto happened to have appeared by accident, the results turned out soundly. Naruto was obviously hoping to duplicate this success. His student's lives _depended _on his being able to duplicate that success.

"Well?"

He didn't respond immediately; in fact, it was several seconds before he lifted his chin from his chest and looked Naruto in the eye, trying to rattle him just for the hell of it. Sasuke knew he'd throw a fit if he told him no outright, and leaving the uncertainty hanging in there just to torture him proved to be the most fun he'd had all day.

"When's your next training session?"

"Tomorrow at six, why?"

A little more waiting; he hadn't earned his answer yet.

"Because, I want to watch him fight before I decide if I'm going to train him."

"Huh?"

He couldn't say he wasn't expecting that. Naruto had always had trouble seeing things from his point of view. "I want to see how he fights; he might not fight like me at all."

"That won't keep you from teaching him kenjutsu…"

"Look, I'll decide when I see him if I want to train him alright? If I decide I'm not a good fit for him I guarantee you I'll be able to point you to someone who can."

Really, he could only think of two other kenjutsu users he knew of who were good enough to be able to teach the art, and they fought in more or less the same style as he, just not as well. But it was evident that Naruto wouldn't stop pestering him if the only reason he gave was 'I don't have the time', despite the fact that it was very true. He would go there, he'd watch the kid fight, point out why his own style was different, and recommend one of the ANBU he knew of, and the matter would be done with; assuming Naruto left him alone about it.

"So?"

If he had taken a snapshot of Naruto the day he had asked him for pointers on the tree climbing exercise, he was sure it would be identical to the expression he wore now; utterly distrustful.

"You're going to really consider it, and not just blow him off?"

"Of course."

_"What's a little white lie among friends?"_

"…alright, deal."

"Good."

They would have sealed the deal more thoroughly had they the time, but right then something of more immediate importance came up; from far overhead and all around they heard the sound of thunder, but it wasn't raining, and rather than sounding as though a great boulder were rolling and crashing across the distant landscape they could make out individual pops and bangs. It was the distinct sound of a number of explosions going off at once. They looked at one another, each instinctively knowing the other had reached the same conclusion; invasion.

Naruto wasted no time in bolting for the door, heedless of the fact that it was quite locked and he had no means of opening it without destroying it, which is exactly what he would have done had not the more cool headed Sasuke rushed to the balcony to get a clearer picture of the situation.

"Sasuke, open this fucking door or I swear I'm going t…"

"Relax, and don't break my apartment."

"What, you're worried about that at a time like this?"

"Just get over here."

Naruto complied, though only because he realized that the balcony was facing the center of the village and the commotion and would thus be a better route to the fighting.

"What?"

"Look."

Naruto complied, baffled as to why his friend would be holding them up until he turned his eyes skyward.

"Oh… fireworks."

"Yeah, they must be celebrating the ratification of the alliance treaty."

"…we weren't expected to go to that, were we?"

"If we were Tsunade would have said something…"

Naruto didn't even bother to correct his disrespect; he had always loved fireworks as a kid, even though he hated festivals. In fact, the first time he'd found his way up to the top of the Hokage monument was to get a better look at the fireworks display without having to get shoved around in the crowds down at the festival. He loved everything about them, from the way they set the night sky on fire with intertwining greens and gold s to the smell of burnt gunpowder that inevitably hung in the air the day after, like a reminder that what had happened the night before had been real and not some fantastic dream.

All in all it wasn't a very good fireworks show. It looked as though the leaders of the alliance had ordered it thrown together in response to the relatively short summit; it wasn't usual to ratify the treaty in such short order. But he still found it captivating, and it reminded him of something, he just couldn't remember what.

"Should we head down there?"

"Can't."

"What?"

"Curfew."

"Oh, right."

For once, his curfew seemed a blessing rather than a curse. He had no interest in whatever surely inspiring speech the Hokage was making, because it was all bullshit, and he knew for a fact that it was so because one of the most important tasks of a ninja was misrepresenting information, even to one's own people, to more easily accomplish an end; in this case, that end was to cease their worrying and gossip-mongering by assuring them that everything would be ok and the war would be won with minimal casualties. It fascinated him, really; he knew that most of the people of Konoha were educated to some extent because the law required it and he knew that most of them weren't idiots because they were gainfully employed in some industrious work that supported the shinobi population, which generally implied skilled labor of some kind. So why did they buy it? They knew how brutal ninja wars could be; a good number of them had lived through several of the previous ones, and the amount of technological and technical developments in ninjutsu over the past decade would only make this one more so. Maybe they were just so damn desperate for it not to be like the previous wars that they'd listen to any talk of the contrary.

He could tell by Naruto's apparent captivation that the show was ramping up; he had to admit, he was interested as well. He hadn't seen fireworks since…well before he had left Konoha, come to think of it. He had loved festivals as a smaller child. To his young mind it was a veritable assault on the senses; he would spend half the time running around deciding what to do first, only to realize that time was running out, at which point he would spend the rest of the evening trying to experience everything before the magic ended. It was one of the few times he would have his parent's consent to throw the stoic life of an Uchiha to the wind and just to be a kid for a few hours. But ever since _that _day, he had never had the energy. But he would still sit out on the balcony of his tiny apartment, and watch the fireworks, thinking about all the people down below who had for a few brief hours decided to exit this world and its problems in favor of wonderland. Maybe that was why he never attended them; it was the same reason he didn't allow anyone to get close, until team seven forced him to do such. The troubles he had were so much greater than the worlds, so much so that they defined who he was. If he had allowed himself to forget them, or give them up, even for just a few hours, he would never have had the strength to do what he was so sure at the time had been right; in a way, it had been satisfying, _knowing _that his suffering was because he was doing the right thing. But as soon as those damn other people muscled their way into his life, it all became so much more _complicated_…

"Uchiha-san."

Naruto and Sasuke's heads both snapped up, at which point it occurred to Sasuke that his friend too had been in deep thought. What had he been thinking about? If he could make a profit betting with himself he would have put everything on ramen or Sakura. But that wasn't important; what was important was that Shino was in the tree by his balcony, addressing him, and interrupting his evening.

"What?"

"Hello yourself, Uchiha-san. Uzumaki-san, good evening."

"Yo." Naruto was too stunned at the sudden appearance of the ANBU to offer anything more.

"Hokage-sama has announced that she would like every Shinobi in the village present for the address she is about to give; the fireworks were meant to alert the rest of the village that something of interest was occurring and it was assumed that they would come of their own accord, but I thought you might need specific notification that your curfew is suspended for the purposes of this event."

Sasuke cursed under his breath, something Shino didn't miss. "Alright."

He dismissed them both with a curt nod, disappearing into the trees as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Sasuke to fume silently while Naruto stretched his limbs, preparing for the sprint to the plaza where the address was taking place; So much for curfew being a blessing.

"So are we going or what?"

Sasuke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, an easily interpretable signal; 'this is too much trouble for a speech I can parallel off the top of my head'.

"Yeah."

With no sound but a faint rustling of the debris on the patio they were on their way, Sasuke in the lead and Naruto trailing not far behind.

* * *

"So, that's your report then?" 

"…Hai, Pain-sama."

He hated this place; the mist here obscured the leaders face, making it impossible to read his expression, or even to make out his features. Maybe that's why he insisted on meeting here. In fact, it was a certainty.

But the mist was no obstacle to Pain. He could sense Deidara's nervous terror as though there was nothing at all, not even air, separating them. It fascinated him that fear could completely destroy any semblance one had of logic. On what occasion had Deidara witnessed him punishing one of his subordinates, or heard of him doing such? And yet that was the exact fear his body was expressing now. If Pain were to maim or kill him, how would he replace him? It wouldn't take long to count the number of shinboi that could beat Deidara in a straight up fight, and the number that could do so while duplicating the results of his unique talents was even smaller. And still, there he was, outwardly stoic while his heart was trying to break out of his ribcage. It baffled him. He spoke then, his voice possessing such a seductive, dreamlike quality uniquely suited to the corporeal atmosphere of the hideout that Deidara's terror seemed compounded tenfold.

"Deidara."

"Hai!"

"I'm not going to hurt you."

He could feel the change in the room as Deidara loosened up, relieved that his life was for now secure. But Pain wasn't satisfied with the feeling of relief he sensed in Deidara. Harm him he may not, but putting the fear of god back into him he had no problem doing.

"However, I'm not pleased with your failure. If you continue to fail in the missions I assign you I will have to find you a replacement. A replacement would make you useless, and you know how I feel about useless people."

Deidara was too good a ninja to let his anxiousness show; but had he been a lesser one, his discomfort would have been palpable.

"Hai, Pain-sama."

He let his perpetual glare linger on his subordinate for a moment longer than usual to let his point sink in; continued failure was not tolerated. Satisfied that Deidara was sufficiently humbled, he turned his attention to Zetsu.

"You say that the force sent to attack Shida was repelled?"

"Yes, though the Shida ninja suffered heavy casualties."

"That's just as well then…we'll have to fight the Lightning Country eventually; that they've been weakened will eventually work to our advantage."

But that wasn't important. The Lightning Country's strength was in numbers and mineral wealth; a truly great ninja had not been born of their clans in a generation. He turned his attention then to the greatest issue at hand, and the member of their council most able to deliberate on it.

"Itachi."

"Hai."

He liked Itachi, because Itachi was like him; he didn't waste time talking. "You heard what Deidara has told us of Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes; ototo's gotten much stronger if he can make multiple shadow clones with the capacity to use the Chidori."

"Indeed; if it weren't for your past with him I'd be inclined to invite him to join us... but that's not an option."

Itachi didn't have to ask what he meant. That's what he liked about Pain; he didn't waste time talking.

"I'll handle him."

Pain held up a hand, as if warning Itachi not to continue. "Don't strike until you can catch him alone. If Konoha is preparing for war, that means their strongest will be there, including those Sannin and Sakumo's son. Their presence could jeopardize your success in this."

Itachi nodded, showing his comprehension.

"What about the Kyuubi?"

Pain twisted his head ever so slightly to face the source of the voice. It was Kisame; that one he did not like as much as his partner, mostly because of questions like these.

"I have not yet decided what to do with that one…if an opportunity to capture him presents itself, then by all means take it, but do _not_ pursue him. He's not the object of your mission."

"Hai, Pain-sama."

"Good. Kazushi informs me that he has secured the Gobi. The sealing starts tomorrow."

Not another word was needed for the assembled shinobi to know that Pain had said his piece and the meeting was over. As his image faded and the Akatsuki pairs disappeared into the mist to accomplish their assorted tasks, Itachi signaled Kisame.

"Yeah, what?"

"We're going to Konoha immediately."

"What? Right now?"

"I didn't know that they were letting Ototo out of the village these days, but if they are then it's only a matter of time before he's sent on another mission."

"Couldn't we have one of our subordinates look after him?"

"No; I want to gauge his growth for myself."

Kisame didn't question him further; he never pretended to know what was going on in Itachi's head. He didn't pretend to know what went on in Itachi's head, but being ordered to kill the one person he'd deemed worth sparing had to mean something to him; even if it was as simple as mild disappointment. Not that it would hinder him at all in doing as he was ordered. Without another complaint Kisame hoisted his sword onto his shoulder, following his partner into the uncertain darkness of night. He didn't question Itachi's choice of direction, even though he would have put the hidden leaf on a more southwesterly tract than they were on; Itachi always knew how to find his way back home.

After hours of running through the tops of the trees Itachi stopped, not bothering to explain to Kisame why. That wouldn't stop him from asking though.

"What's up?"

It was a long time before Itachi spoke; he rarely spoke quickly, but always accurately. He disdained speculation, preferring to take in all the sights and sounds around him and finding for himself how they fit into the greater fabric of his understanding.

"Konoha is celebrating."

How could he know that? They had to be at least a day away from Konoha yet.

"How can you know that?"

"There are flashing lights on the horizon over there, but no clouds."

"So?"

"They're shooting off fireworks."

"That doesn't prove anything…"

Itachi wasn't paying attention; if Kisame could only see what he could, he wouldn't be so intent on contradicting him.

"What do you think they're celebrating?"

"One of the greatest institutions of Konoha is the Sakura Festival. The Shodaime Hokage began the tradition, knowing that many of his warriors would not return, and that it may be the last chance many of them and their loved ones would have to share a fond memory."

"So it's a festival of war eh?"

Itachi's expression didn't change. "Not likely; it is generally such a grand event that even you would be able to see the flashes from this distance."

Kisame looked puzzled. "Then why did you mention it?"

"Because it's the best possibility I have, given the information. It is ironic, though…"

"What?"

Kisame had seen a lot of things; things that would make most men's hearts and minds break in fear, and through them he had stood firm and sure, even when he had feared for his life. But never before had he experienced such a shudder as when Itachi spoke next, if for nothing more than the deadpan nature with which he could recall his crimes.

"With the timing… it's almost as though they're celebrating my return."

* * *

A/N: 

Hello and good day to you friends, bored people, and people who would probably run me down in the streets if they saw me for not updating more regularly.

About that; my bad. I'm very sorry, but there is one primary and one secondary reason for this. Primary reason? I got stuck with NaruSaku. Now, don't take that as "I'm making this up as I go" but the story isn't (as most stories I think aren't) entirely set in stone, and I had two directions it seemed I could have taken NaruSaku in; I could have taken it at it's present pace and had it wrap up relatively quickly in the scope of the broader story, or I could have had them angst over it forever. Now, I think you'll understand why I hesitated in updating until I resolved this issue; because both of those suck, and I couldn't really even write the rest of this chapter until I'd gotten over that hump. Luckily, I feel I've stumbled upon a third option that works very well, though I may have to do some _minor _retconning (only changes in language, not story line) to keep from contradicting myself. Even then, I'll have to check to see if that' seven necessary. Does that mean this story is dead? No. Does it mean that all subsequent updates will take several months? No, but that's no guarantee that other issues won't come up, either.

Secondary concern; one of my betas mysteriously disappeared. He said he was busy, and I believe him, but after not hearing from him for upwards of two weeks, even after he had said "I should be done this weekend", I had to assume that an emergency had occured and publish it using my second beta (who did an excellent job, even though sick; give him a round of virtual applause, everyone).

Now, for my most common reviewer complaint which goes more or less as follows; "Awesome story (Okay, maybe not that part), but the half english/japanese technique naming is annoying, and the use of japanese is inconsistent".

So, a sincere sorry to everyone who's ever experienced eye bleeding or other congenital defects while reading this story. Honestly, looking back on it, the only justification that I can come up with is that a lot of early scans I saw that were any good did it this way, and a lot of my favorite fics throw in japanese phrases, so I just kind of did so liberally with no regard to consistency. I will be retconning this, and removing japanese phrases where they're frivolous and making them more consistent where I still feel like keeping them (mostly honorifics/forms of address, POSSIBLY greetings). I tried to do a better job of it this chapter; I certainly hope so.

Anyway, read, review, and expect the next chapter much sooner. I certainly am.

Lates.

Also, something that weirds me out: I made a MySpace like, eight months ago, and upon discovering that I had to post crap on it promptly left it alone, never to touch it again. So essentially, there is a blank page somewhere on the internet with my name on it. I'm not even entirely sure how to get to it. But in the last month I've gotten a number of random friends requests from people I don't know. wtf?


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